The presiding pastor and founder of Salvation ministries, David Ibiyeomie, stirred up a hornet’s nest when he declared that Jesus hated poor people, thereby eliciting responses from Nigerians who criticised him for misrepresenting Christ and the Bible.
But the influential Port Harcourt, Rivers State-based televangelist has remained adamant about his claims, insisting that he has a higher level of divine revelation his doctrinal faultfinders don’t have.
A couple of weeks ago, Ibiyeomie, also a die-hard prosperity preacher who teaches that Christians cannot receive breakthroughs except they give sacrificially, said that Jesus Christ never associated with the poor while he was on earth because he hated poverty.
Ibiyeomie averred, to the annoyance of those at variance with his message, that the death and resurrection of Christ not only brought salvation to mankind but also freed believers from poverty.
He then told members of his church that remaining in poverty after coming to Christ is a big no-no. According to him, sinners can come to Christ poor but must not remain poor, as that equates with a lack of spiritual understanding.
Ibiyeomie buttressed his arguments by pointing out that Lazarus and Zacchaeus – individuals mentioned in the Bible – were rich folks Christ got together with.
He said, “Jesus never visited any poor person in his house, check your Bible. That means he hates poverty. He visited Lazarus, they (Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha) were not poor, and they gave him (Christ) food.
“He visited a sinner, Zacchaeus, who was rich. Tell me one poor man Jesus entered his house. He hates poverty, that’s the meaning.”
Ibiyeomie added, “Christ hates people who are poor. He died for you not to be poor. How can you now come to church with that kind of mentality?
“You can come poor but you’re not permitted to remain poor. There’s nothing wrong with you coming to Christ as a poor man, but it’s wrong for you to remain poor. It is wrong.”
Some men of God, including the Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Stephen Adegbite, discredited Ibiyeomie for his “corrupt” message, alluding to the folly in it.
Adegbite described it as an “insult to biblical truth” and a “dangerous distortion of Christ’s mission.”
The Lagos CAN chair also warned Christians not to be misled by “fake pastors” who prioritize wealth over truth.
On his part, the senior pastor at Power City International, Abel Damina, called Ibiyeomie a prosperity monger, insisting that Christ did associate with the poor.
Damina, himself a controversial preacher who has earned much resentment for some of his own messages, said, “How can Jesus hate poor people?”
He added, “We know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor – identifying with the poor – that you, through His poverty, might be made rich.”
But Damina and Adegbite, including other pastors and Nigerians who chided Ibiyeomie, may need to do more if they hope to see more Christians having the discernment to recognise “fake pastors” and disregard them.
This is because on Easter Sunday, Ibiyeomie, who said he was not bothered by the entire social media furore his sermon had generated, doubled down on his claims and the church resounded with cheers and applause.
The embattled cleric had justified his earlier claim that Jesus kept the poor at arm’s length with a revelation he said he received from the Holy Spirit.
“There are many Christians who will not entertain any teaching that God does not bless His children with money, houses and the rest of them. Let these Christians be”
Ibiyeomie told everyone who cared to listen – and many did – that the Holy Spirit gave him further insight into the controversial remarks he made and that he was right about his assertions.
“He [Holy Spirit] said I became a sin for humanity. I said yes. He said do you like sin? I said no.
“He said,” Can you be a friend to a sinner? He [same Holy Spirit] said no. He said you can only lead people to Christ, but you cannot be with the sinner. Is that not true? I said yes.
“He said everyone gets angry when a believer mixes with sinners. So, when the believer also mixes with the poor, people should get angry.
“He said I was made poor so that you might be rich. So, poverty is not for me. He [Holy Spirit] said you can help the poor, but not associate with the poor, because if you do that you are saying my death and resurrection is in vain.”
Mike Pepple, one of the people rooting for Ibiyeomie, said, “You guys don’t understand Ibiyeomie. He is simply saying that you should not remain poor just as you would not remain in sin or sickness as these are the things Christ died for.
“Who likes poverty? Why should anybody defend poverty? Please walk out of poverty and stop begging.
“And you all should listen to Ibiyeomie and stop criticising him.
“Check the help he has rendered to the poor and compare it with what those that are criticizing him have done. Help the poor but don’t befriend the poor.”
Many Christians, however, want to know what riches – in biblical context – truly are. And to satisfy their curiosity, two schools of thought on the controversial topic have come to believers’ rescue.
One school of thought says that riches typically means all the increases a man can acquire in terms of material possessions.
To those in this school, Bible riches mean plenty of money, houses, land, investments as well as good health and children a Christian must have.
Another school of thought, on the other hand, insists that riches are simply spiritual blessings that a believer enjoys when he or she is in Christ.
For those in this school, riches should not necessarily be material wealth but the richness in God’s grace, mercy, and righteousness.
Also, those who believe that riches are tangible benefits sometimes use Proverbs 10 verse 22 – which says the blessing of God makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it – to drive home their points.
But those who oppose them say that physical riches may actually bring sorrow in any shape or form. In their assessment, such riches are not primarily the type God has in mind.
A clergyman, Emeka Onwuachu, said, “If Christians don’t know that there is a world of difference between physical riches and spiritual riches, they will keep hearing contradictory messages on riches coming from the pulpits of different men of God.
“Pastors are guilty of interpreting Bible passages on riches to suit their grand narratives of prosperity.
“When the Bible says that Christ became poor so that we can become rich, it doesn’t mean that Christians must have physical riches. The riches are spiritual in nature.”
Onwuachu also addressed what the meaning of “the blessing of God makes rich and he adds no sorrow with it” is.
He said, “The riches in that passage are not talking about riches in naira, dollar or gold. The blessings of God make us rich – it is the riches of God’s mercy, forgiveness, grace – those are the things that won’t bring sorrow in any form.
“Or don’t Christians know that physical riches can come with sorrow?”
Onwuachu also said that Christians who believe that Christ did not visit any poor man during his earthly ministry should be aware that the Bible says that all that Christ did while he was on earth are not all recorded in the Bible.
A public affairs analyst, Maxwell Igwe, said he did not understand why some pastors would put members under undue pressure because of “riches that will fade away.”
According to him, pastors who believe that worldly riches are a proof of God’s blessings in the life of a Christian and those who think they are not must get the message across in a way that will not cause irritation.
Igwe said, “There are many Christians who will not entertain any teaching that God does not bless His children with money, houses and the rest of them. Let these Christians be.
“So, whether or not pastors preach prosperity gospel, which puts so much emphasis on riches, the fact remains that people will listen to and believe them.
“But for the love of God, don’t put the people listening to you under unnecessary undue pressure with your messages because of riches that will fade away and which we will not take away when we leave this world.
“And very importantly, too, whether or not you believe or agree that worldly riches are a proof of God’s blessing, you must get the message across to others in a way that will not cause irritation to those who don’t agree with you.