There is something powerful about a testimony. It is more than words: It is evidence. It is lived experience. It is the visible expression of an invisible work of God. And when the church testifies, we do not merely speak about Christ—we reveal Him.
I am reminded of the familiar refrain sung by the Alexandria Sanctuary Choir:
I wanna testify.
I wanna testify.
What the Lord has done for me,
He set my spirit free.
He has made me whole,
Put joy down in my soul.
I wanna testify, testify!
That song captures the essence of the redeemed life. We testify because something has happened to us. We have been changed. We have been set free. We have been made whole. But as powerful as our individual testimonies are, there is an even greater testimony the church is called to embody—a corporate testimony of unity.
In John 17, we are given the privilege of listening in on what is often called “The High Priestly Prayer of Jesus.” As He prepares for the cross, Jesus prays not only for His disciples, but for all who would believe through their message—including us. And what is the burden of His prayer?
“That they all may be one, . . . that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21 NKJV).
Jesus ties the credibility of our testimony to the reality of our unity. In other words, the world’s ability to believe is connected to the church’s ability to live as one.
This unity is not something we manufacture through human effort alone. Scripture reminds us that unity is first a gift before it is a responsibility. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:3 that we are to be “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Notice the language: the unity of the Spirit. This is not man-made unity. It is Spirit-given unity.
The Holy Spirit does not produce division. He produces oneness. Paul goes on to declare, “There is one body and one Spirit, . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Ephesians 4:4–5). Unity is woven into the very fabric of who we are as the people of God.
However, while unity is given, it must also be guarded. We must endeavor to keep it.
This is where our testimony comes into focus.
The church does not testify to unity merely by preaching about it. Former Presiding Bishop Sam Clements noted that we often preach unity but practice division. We must not only preach unity—we must practice it. When we choose love over preference, reconciliation over division, humility over pride, and cooperation over competition, we are giving the world a glimpse of the kingdom of God. When the church walks in unity, it becomes a living testimony that something supernatural is at work.
And this testimony has a purpose: that the world may believe . . . and be reconciled to Him.
Our unity is missional.
We are not called to be unified for comfort, but for commission. God has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18–19). We are ambassadors for Christ, carrying the message that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.
But the message of reconciliation is most credible when it is seen before it is heard.
A divided church cannot effectively preach a reconciling gospel. But a unified church—one church, filled with one Spirit—becomes a powerful witness that reconciliation is not only possible, it is real.
So, I ask us: What is our testimony?
Can the world look at us and see unity? Can they see a people who, though diverse in background, culture, and perspective, are bound together by something greater—the Spirit of the living God?
Let us testify—not only with our lips, but with our lives. Let us demonstrate the unity that Jesus prayed for, the unity the Spirit provides, and the unity that the mission demands.
And as we do, may our collective voice rise with renewed conviction:
I wanna testify.
I wanna testify.
What the Lord has done for me. . . .
Note: This article was edited by ChatGPT for structure, grammar, and clarity.
