Don't Tamper With The Evidence

Introduction: Don't Tamper With the Evidence

God bless you everyone. It is again an honor to be standing before you. Before I move any further, can we give God praise for our leaders in the presence of Bishop John Francis and co-pastor Penny Francis?

I always say sometimes we can get more excited about visitors and guests that come from all over the place, but we cannot get so familiar with the gifts that God has blessed us with.

Scripture reference: John 12 — the priests plotted to put Lazarus to death, because by reason of him many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus.

Father, your word is strength, your word is power, and everything we need is in your word. In this next few moments we pray that you will speak to us. Let us hear what you have to say. When all is said and done, we'll give your name glory, for it is due unto your name. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

On your way to your seats, look over to someone. Say, "Don't tamper with the evidence." Look over to someone else. Say, "Don't tamper with the evidence."

The Year of God's Power

Brothers and sisters, for our visitors in the sanctuary and online today, the year 2026 in this house has been declared the year of God's power. Every single month we have a different theme or focus, but it is all around the power of God. In the month of May, we are focusing on the subject: God's power to witness.

What Is a Witness?

A witness is a person who:

• Sees or hears an event
• Gives firsthand evidence, usually in a court setting under oath
• Makes a pledge or promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth
• Can confirm the authenticity of something being presented
• Can be present when a document is being signed

Look over to someone, say, "Tell the truth."

What Is Evidence?

The word evidence is factual information. It is a testimony that supports or disproves a claim or belief.

The Promise That Births Expectation

Here we are in the book of Acts chapter one. This is a very familiar scripture, especially in the time we are in in the biblical calendar. I spoke briefly at Super Sunday about the fact that we are in the place of waiting. One of the first things that jumps out in this scripture is that the Holy Spirit is promised.

Brothers and sisters, it is a difficult time we are in. Sometimes our frustration is not because we don't believe God can do it. A lot of us — our frustration is because we actually know he can, and so we don't understand why it's not happening.

Let me preach to myself. Our frustration isn't that we doubt God can do it. Our frustration is, "God, I know you can. So why is it taking so long?"

The problem is: a promise births in us an expectation. If nobody said something to you, you wouldn't expect it. My daughter is over there, and my wife and I don't tell her when we're going places until we're on the way. Because if we tell her on Monday that on Saturday we're going to so-and-so's birthday party, every single day she's going to ask, "Are we going to the party? What time are we leaving? What am I going to wear?" We've put an expectation in her.

Some of us are in that place where the promise of God, which at the beginning was a source of great comfort, now seems to be causing us frustration. It's forcing us to wait. It's forcing us to go through a process we didn't really sign up for in the first place.

The Story of Lazarus: Jesus Is In No Rush

The Holy Spirit has been promised and they are waiting on manifestation. To tie this together, let's go to John chapter 11. Lazarus is sick. The Bible says his sisters make contact with Jesus to come and heal Lazarus.

The way I read it — they said, "Jesus, the one you love is sick." It's almost like, "Let me say something to make him hurry up. This ain't just anybody. This is Lazarus, the one that you say you love."

Jesus is somewhere else. And the Bible says at this time Jesus says:

"His sickness is not unto death, but that the glory of God, that the Son of God, may be glorified through it."

And then the Bible goes on to say that Jesus stayed where he was two more days.

The Second Frustration

This is the next frustration some of us are dealing with. Not only am I waiting on a promise, but the second thing is, "God, you don't seem to be in any hurry to deal with this situation." Lazarus is sick, his sisters have called Jesus, and he's in no rush. He didn't pick up his stuff and say, "Disciples, we're getting out of here quickly." He stayed two more days.

Jesus says to the disciples, "Lazarus is sleeping." The disciples are confused because they're thinking it's rest. But Jesus then speaks very clearly and says, "Lazarus is dead." But the last report they were sent was that Lazarus was sick. So now I've got another issue — Jesus, you now know that Lazarus is dead, and you still ain't in any rush to go find Lazarus.

Jesus Arrives

Jesus turns up on the scene. Moving quickly: Lazarus is dead. Mary and Martha are like some of us. They're complaining and saying, "Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would have never died." Lazarus has been in the tomb. He starts to smell — decomposition kicks in fast. They don't have the freezers we have now, and it's hot outside.

The sisters have a complaint: "Jesus, this is your fault. We know you are a healer. We've seen you heal other people, and now my brother has died, and you're just showing up." In the timing of man, Jesus is late. In the timing of our natural, Jesus has missed the opportunity.

But he says to them, "Your brother will rise again." And Martha, with her smart mouth, says, "Yeah, we know he will rise again in the resurrection." But Jesus had to set the record straight in verse 25:

"I am the resurrection and the life. He that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."

Come Forth

Even in this moment, Lazarus is dead, but Jesus decrees, "Lazarus, come forth."

This isn't my message today, but I feel the Holy Ghost. I want you to prophesy to two or three people and tell them, "Come forth."

I don't know what you are in. I don't know how long you've been in it, but the Lord told me to tell you this afternoon — come forth. I know you've been in turmoil. I know you've been in confusion, but the Lord says, come forth. I know people are crying around you because they think this is the end, but hear the voice of the Lord this afternoon: come forth.

Spectators Become Participators

Lazarus comes forth. I love this scripture because the Bible says Jesus tells all the people around him, "You loose him and let him go."

Could I tell you: those that were spectators in everything that happened in your life — their roles have now been changed. All the people that were spectating now have to be participators in your miracle.

Could I prophesy to two or three people? They watched it die. They watched it stop breathing and they thought it was final, and now God says, "You participate in the miracle."

The Plot to Kill the Evidence

Now Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead. When you skip over to the next chapter, there is a plot to kill Lazarus.

Can you imagine? Lazarus has experienced the firsthand resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Lazarus has a testimony that "I was dead, I was in my grave, and Jesus Christ turned up and now I'm alive again." And now there is a plot to kill him.

Somebody that experiences death — there's not much that scares them. There's not much you can do to them because they know what it is like. I was studying this this week, and yesterday I was at an event where one of the pastors was giving his testimony that last year he died. They pronounced him dead. He had no pulse. He had no heartbeat for three minutes, and then out of nowhere he just jumped up. The paramedics and the medical staff said he had no pulse and no heartbeat, but the Lord revived him right there.

Imagine you went through all of that, and now there is a plot to kill you. What did old Lazarus do to you? Why do you want to kill him? Why do you want to take him out? He's just come back from the dead. He ain't troubling nobody.

But I came to tell the devil today: you can't tamper with this evidence.

Definitions: Tamper and Evidence

Lazarus started to walk around the place. He started to do things that obviously he could not do before. He went through sickness. He even went through death. And now he's alive. But he has to be looking over his shoulder because some people are conspiring to kill him.

The word tamper means:

• To interfere
• To meddle with something you are not authorized to get involved with
• To trespass
• To get involved with something you have no legal right to

The word evidence is information. It is facts. It is a testimony that supports a claim or proves a point or provides validity.

You Are the Evidence

The scripture lets us know in verse 11 — because of this account, many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters, some of you are saying, "I don't understand why the devil's on my back so much." I've come to tell you the reason why: because you are evidence. I almost titled this message, "I Am the Evidence."

He's on your heels in this season because you are evidence of the power of God. Every time they see you walk, every time they see you talk, you are evidence of the power of God. People can argue until they're blue in the face, but you can't argue when there's evidence.

The Judge Judy Illustration

I like to watch Judge Judy — my wife will tell you, I'll be in the house watching Judge Judy. Some of you know she's got some ways about her. One of the things I love about her is she's so direct. Some people will walk in the courtroom and bring their friend, their cousin, their auntie. She will say, "Okay, come on. Stand up here. What do you have to tell me? What did you see?" And they will say, "I didn't see nothing." She'll say, "Sit down. I don't want to hear you say nothing, 'cause you weren't there."

The problem with this new church is we've got too many people standing under oath — promising to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth — and you ain't got nothing to say because you haven't had an encounter with Jesus. You're so quick to grab the mic and start your own Facebook Live and Insta Live, telling people stuff, trying to introduce people to a Jesus that you don't even know.

There was one time where they brought in a witness and Judge Judy said, "I want you to go wait outside." She said, "Why I told them to go outside is 'cause I'm going to let you testify, and then I'm going to bring them back in to see if you all say the same thing."

The Devil Cannot Wipe Out the Evidence

Brothers and sisters, there's been some tampering with the evidence. The enemy has tried to interfere with what God has already done. But I want to tell you today that the enemy's plans cannot work in this season.

He wanted to wipe out Lazarus. Why? Because by the testimony of Lazarus, everybody started to believe on Jesus Christ. They heard he was a healer. They heard he was a deliverer. But now they had seen someone who was dead. Their belief system had been ignited.

The problem is that the devil is so silly, so ignorant, because he thought by wiping out Lazarus, he could wipe out the evidence of the power of God.

If Not Lazarus, Then Someone Else

If you wipe out Lazarus, then you've got to go find:

• Bartimaeus — he was blind. He could not see. And when he encountered the power of God, he became evidence that God can restore sight.
• The Shunammite woman — her son was dead and had all manner of issues, but through the prophet he was raised from the dead. Go find her and take her out too.
• The man in the tomb cutting himself — he needed deliverance. The devil was cast out of him, and he went on his way praising God.
• The ten lepers — struck with leprosy and could not otherwise get well. Jesus Christ restored their health and they went on their way.
• The five thousand men who were hungry one day, and there was a little boy with a packed lunch. He gave it to Jesus, and Jesus multiplied it, and they all went away with full bellies.

If the devil wants to wipe out the evidence, look over to your neighbor and say, "He got to come for me too."

A House Full of Evidence

If the devil's going to wipe out the evidence of the power of God, he has to go find Bishop Francis, because he's the son that was born after his mom was healed from cancer. They told her she was going to die. They said it was all over. But Bishop is here now. Auntie Naomi is here now. They were born after Mother Francis was delivered from cancer.

The devil is so stupid. If he thought he was going to wipe out the evidence by taking out one man... I don't know what's in this room today, but some of us have diverse testimonies. Stuff we don't even talk about, because if we told our testimony, you wouldn't even want to sit next to us.

Look over to someone, say, "I'm evidence."

You Shall Receive Power

Here we are in our focus scripture. The Bible says:

"You shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you."

Brothers and sisters, I'm scared of this new church, because everybody seems to have the Holy Ghost and don't have power. Can I talk for real in here? We know how to shake and roll on the ground and we've got express tongues. We use every letter in the alphabet in our tongues, but we ain't got no power.

The devil is a liar. You've got all these crazy tongues — you quicken and shake, and the devil comes in your yard and you get scared. You can't have the Holy Ghost in you and be scared of the devil. You can't have the real Holy Ghost in you and be scared of what man can do to you.

Tell your neighbor, "I've got power."

Receive Means Do Something

He says, "You shall receive power." That word receive means you actually have to do something. You have to open up your hands. If I say, "Minister Janice, I've got something for you," she has to open up her hands and say, "I'm posturing myself to receive it."

We've decreed this the year of God's power. And I don't believe we could preach it every week for 52 weeks of the year and not see it demonstrated.

Why the Attack?

Have you not wondered why there's so much attack going on in this church? So many people going down with sicknesses that the doctors say, "We don't know what's going on." Could it be that the Lord is saying, "I'm bringing out an example. I'm going to make you evidence that the power of God is real"?

Some of you are going through hell right now and you don't understand why God would allow it, but you've been praying for your family to be saved. And God says, "I've got to make you the evidence, 'cause they know how you used to cuss. They know the life you used to live, and now there's a turn in your life. They see you as evidence."

A Witness To Him, Not For Him

He says, "You shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses."

I said, "God, Bishop taught us in this house that the Bible is written from an agricultural perspective, and also from a legal perspective." So we hear these words about legal and court systems. But I said, "God, you're not on trial. So why do you need a witness? God, you don't have to prove yourself to nobody. You are God. You're God all by yourself. Before the foundations of the world was, you already were. Nobody put you in place. Nobody can take you out. Nobody voted you in. Nobody can vote you out. Why do you need a witness?"

Brothers and sisters, I started to look at it. This word speaks about the pledge, the promise, confirming authenticity. But it also allows us to hear this: we are in a place where we are able to testify on behalf of God.

Now, this is where I get a bit confused. The witness is really there for the prosecutor or the defense. The witness is brought in to help strengthen their case. But when the Lord says, "You will be my witness," it is not for God's benefit — because he's not on trial. He doesn't need us to defend him. If he needed us to defend him, he'd be in trouble, because sometimes some of us don't even feel like defending him anyway.

Witness To Him

Watch this. In verse 8, he says, "You'll be a witness to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

We've got something wrong, because we're not a witness for him — we're a witness to him. There's a whole difference.

• If I'm a witness for him, I'm on his behalf. I'm trying to defend him. I'm trying to convince the judge something is right.
• But when it says we will be a witness to him, that means we have the ability to open our mouths and testify to him — and to every single person in this world.

Brothers and sisters, that means we can't just evangelize and witness to people that look like us. Can I talk real in here? We can't be on the road evangelizing talking about, "Oh, I'm just going to talk to the black people." The devil is a liar. We've got to go into all the world.

He says, "You'll be a witness to me." That means what I am to you, you'll be a witness to them. If he's been a healer for you, you'll be a witness. If he's been a deliverer for you, you'll be a witness. If he's done something in your family, you'll be a witness.

You Become the Evidence

He says, "You'll be my witness." You become the evidence. You become what people can see. Some people may never come into a church like this, but in your workplace, you become the evidence. In your family, you become the evidence.

My last scripture is Revelation 12:11:

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."

Open Your Mouth

You've got to open up your mouth and say something. A witness cannot remain quiet. They want to know what you saw and what you heard. The reason the devil's got the upper hand on some of us in this season is because we won't open our mouths and say something.

Yes, we plead the blood of Jesus Christ. But the Bible says there are two things: you overcome him by:

1. The blood of the Lamb
2. The word of your testimony

I don't care how dirty your testimony is, how bad your testimony is. Open your mouth and say something. Don't let the devil keep you quiet. Don't let him keep you in your seat.

We're here trying to give the cute story and trying to make it look all right. No — we want to know the details. We want to know what God brought you out from. Because there are some people who won't want to hear preaching like this, but the moment you open your mouth and say, "I was just like you. I used to be drunk like you. I used to be hung out on drugs like you" — you become the evidence.

What Do People Encounter Because of You?

They conspired to kill Lazarus. They said, "Because of you, many went on and believed in Jesus Christ." My question to us in this house today is:

• What is the reason?
• What do people encounter because of you?
• Have they been pointed back to God?
• Or have they been pointed back to anger, envy, bitterness, unforgiveness?
• What do people see when they see you?
• What do people experience when they look at you?
• Do they see God?

There is a place for us to speak in tongues, there is a place for us to quicken. But if that's all that the Holy Ghost has been reduced to, something is wrong. If we can just run and shout in here, and that same Holy Ghost that you say you have doesn't allow you to love your neighbor, doesn't allow you to love that family member even though they get on your last nerves — something is wrong.

I love what Bishop said. This year, it's not just about the evangelism team going out to win souls. That power ought to come upon us that we all say something. It's not the elders that are going to win souls this year, the ministers who are going to win souls — we're all going to win souls this year. Because we ought to be a witness to him. A witness to his power. A witness that he delivered. A witness that he can set free.

A New Glory From What You've Been Through

Last week Elder Wanita was preaching, and we all could sense, we could all hear, there was a whole difference in her delivery. She went through that sickness. Oftentimes when we go through things, there's a new appreciation, but also a new glory that is attached to it.

This isn't to say she wasn't anointed before — we know she was anointed. But if you check in the realms of the spirit, there was a peak she hit. Go back and watch the stream. There's a part where her voice changed. I was watching it this week and I said, "My God."

God is trying to tell you: some of the things that you are going through and facing right now, you think it is for the ending of you or the demise of you, but God's saying, "I'm trying to make you a witness to me."

The problem is, some of us are arguing with people who are committed to misunderstanding us. They enter the conversation and they don't want to hear about your God. They're just waiting for you to finish talking so they can prove you wrong. But there's a difference when you are standing there saying, "There was cancer in my body and the doctors couldn't do anything, and I went back and they couldn't see it again."

Some of you know what your life was like. Some of you know how difficult it is even just for you to make it here on a Sunday. But don't let nobody shut your mouth. You open up your mouth and testify of the goodness of God.

Altar Call: The Devil on Your Heels

I want to pray for two or three people in this room. You say, "Preacher, I'm in that place where it's like the devil is just after me. It's like I'm progressing in one area, but I feel him on my heels." I want you to run to this altar.

Some of you are asking God, "Why am I going through all of this?" He says, "I'm trying to make you a witness to me."

You're fighting that thing. Some of you, even in your sleep, the enemy is fighting you. You can't get rest at night. I see night terrors and sleep paralysis. Even in your sleep, the devil's trying to fight you. I see people waking up sweating, waking up tired because you've been fighting even in your sleep. Come to this altar.

The devil understands that because of you, many are turning to Jesus Christ. Because of your testimony, many are saying Jesus Christ must be real. Because of what you have been through, people are saying, "What must I do to be saved?"

For Those Frustrated in the Wait

The next group of people I want to pray for is those who say, "I'm frustrated in this time of waiting. God has promised me something and I'm so tired in the wait, but I don't want to give up." Come to this altar. We're holding on to that promise, but it's almost like we're losing our grip. God wants to strengthen you today.

Everyone on this altar, raise your hands. The elders and ministers will pray with you. But this moment is about you and God. Reach out to him this afternoon like you've never reached out to him before. He's the only one that can turn this situation. He's the only one that can make this test into a testimony. He's the only one that can give you the endurance to get through to the end of this trial.

Endurance, Not Just Escape

The problem some of us have is we feel like God is always going to break us out of the situation. We expect that the elders will pray and Bishop will pray and we'll come out of it. The sad reality is God ain't taken some of us out of it yet. But what he will do is give us the ability to endure. He will give us the strength to get to the end of this test, and by the time you come out, you come out better than you went in.

Prophetic Word

There's a gentleman — your head is back, you just looked up, greenish top in the middle. Just raise your hand.

I see you in this place of what feels like isolation. It's not that people are not around you, but in your spirit where you are, you sense you're alone. There's a part of it that is like, nobody understands, nobody gets what I'm dealing with.

But the Lord said to tell you in this season that help is on the way. He said to address you as "son." He said you've had to deal with a lot of things by yourself. There should have been people that stood with you to hold up your arms, but they were nowhere to be found.

But God said to remind you in this promise that he will never leave you nor forsake you. Even in the midst of the turmoil that you find yourself in now, God says help is coming to you. But it is going to be a divine assistance. This help is coming directly from God.

I see you in the next few months — there are some ideas, some things that you've almost put to bed and said, "Maybe it's not the right time." The Lord says this is your sign. This is your confirmation that this is the right time. He says those things that you put to the side, in this season, I want you to pick them up and see what I'll do in your life.

Prayer of Declaration

Father, in the name of Jesus, for every single person under the sound of my voice — Father, you've delivered, you've set free, you've strengthened, you've given the ability to endure. Now I prophesy and declare in the name of Jesus Christ, your people will leave this place strengthened. Your people will leave here with confidence, knowing that he who began a good work is faithful to complete it, even unto the day of Jesus Christ.

Now, devil, we announce to you that your power, your influence, everything you have been doing to frustrate the people of God — it is over. Your plans will not come to pass. Your plans will not prosper. I declare that the people of God are leaving here with the victory, knowing that they are the evidence of the power of God, and they will be a witness to him, in Jesus' name.

Witness With Your Praise

I need about 100 people in this room to start to thank God that you are the evidence of the power of God. By the time you get home, people in your family will say, "What must I do to know this Jesus that you serve?" Somebody's family is getting saved. Somebody's family will be delivered. I decree, not many days from now, you'll bring them into this house, you'll see them baptized, you'll see them filled with the Holy Ghost.

You cannot be a witness and not say nothing. Part of it is you have to say what you saw or say what you heard. I'm going to give you 30 seconds. Everybody's going to be a witness today. Go tell two or three people what the Lord is to you:

• If he's been your healer, just say he's a healer.
• If he's been a deliverer, just say he's a deliverer.
• Whatever he is to you, just say it.

We've all heard evidence just now. You might not know the details, you might not know the intricacies of what God has done in your neighbor's life, but praise God as we are now the evidence.

Every time you see me, you see that God delivers. Every time you see me, you see that God makes a way where there is no way. So I dare you to witness with your praise. I am the evidence that he brought me out and he brought me over.

Witness Protection

I told you at the beginning: don't tamper with the evidence. Part of that responsibility is on us. Elder Wanita, if you know something and you don't say something, you are just as guilty as the one that did it in the first place.

The second thing is: some of us don't want to give evidence because we're scared of the backlash. But I heard Bishop declare last week that we are on witness protection.

In the natural, that means they may move you to another house, another location, to ensure you're protected. But one of the things I love is that some witnesses are placed on 24-hour surveillance. That means people you can't see are watching over them.

I want to declare in the name of Jesus Christ that we are under the 24-hour surveillance of heaven. They may not see the angels, but they stand there on guard.

You are the evidence. I'm a witness that God can deliver.

What is in your mind and in your heart, you're going to hold it in your hand. Tell two or three people, "I'm going to hold it in my hand, and I shall have the evidence."

A Word for Rose

Rose, hear me by the Holy Ghost. The Lord said this year, 2026, is your year of evidence. The Lord said to tell you, as Elder told us last week, your confession has always been, "It is well," even when things were going wrong in your life. The Lord said you never changed your confession. You never doubted me. You never thought about walking away from me.

The Lord said to tell you this year — you won't just have one. You won't just have two. But I see you having five in your hand. I don't want to know what that number means to you, but in this season, praise him because not many days from now, you'll have five in your hand.

Salvation Call

There are two groups of people. The first is those of you who say, "Preacher, I'm not saved, and I want to dedicate my heart to the Lord." If you are in this room and you've never confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and today you say, "I want to make him my Savior. I want to make him my Lord" — raise your hands. We want to pray with you.

You say, "Preacher, I stepped away from him, but I want to rededicate my heart to the Lord." Just raise your hand. We want to pray with you.

The second group: you may be visiting. You may have visited here for three months, seven months, or it may be your first time, but you say, "I want to make Ruach City Church my church." Come to this altar.

Everybody, check your row. Say, "Are you saved?" Are you in relationship with Christ? If they say no, bring them to this altar. Then ask: do you have a church? Would you like to make Ruach City Church your church? If they answer yes, bring them to this altar.

We're not going to assume that everybody is saved. Repeat after me:

Dear Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner and I need you to be my Savior. So today, I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life. I do not belong to you, devil. I belong to Jesus, and I'm now saved in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you said that prayer, please come and see one of the prayer counselors at the front.

Closing

Brothers and sisters, we are the evidence and we are the witness. Look over to two or three people. Say, "You are the witness and you are the evidence."