Before the colonialists imposed national boundaries, the kings of Laos and Vietnam reached an agreement on taxation in the border areas. Those who ate short_grain rice, built their houses on stilts, and decorated them with Indian_style serpents were considered Laotians. On the other hand, those who ate long_grain rice, built their houses on the ground, and decorated them with Chinese_style dragons were considered Vietnamese. The exact location of a person's home was not what determined his or her nationality. Instead, each person belonged to the kingdom whose cultural values he or she exhibited.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that his disciples would have certain characteristics. They would realize that without God-life was hopeless and they would grieve if anything separated them from their relationship with God. They would yield their will to God and desire more than anything else to be right with God. They would be a people who sought to relieve the afflictions of others as well as a people who would seek purity in their own thoughts, emotions, choices, and conscience. They would be a people who would be proactive in seeking peace with others and with God, as well as a people who were willing to suffer for their convictions.

Also, they would be known as a people who sought to hinder the spread of evil and encourage that which is good. They would be a people who took God’s commands seriously and kept them faithfully. They would be a people who neither showed contempt for any person nor were they a people of lustful habits, for they removed themselves from anything that would hinder their closeness to God. They would be a people who kept their commitments, both to family and to others. They would be a people who would be selfless as well as loving to their neighbors, and even their enemies.

Christians were not identified by their gender, race, affluence, or their nationality. They were identified by their actions and attitudes, just as the Laotians and Vietnamese could be identified by the characteristics they exhibited. If you profess to be a Christian, does your life demonstrate these characteristics described by Jesus? If Christians were being put on trial, would there be enough evidence to convict you of being a Christian???