Controversy trails Ibiyeomie’s poverty claim

Founder of Salvation Ministries, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, is facing intense backlash from prominent Christian leaders following a viral sermon in which he claimed that Jesus Christ deliberately avoided poor people during His earthly ministry.

In the widely circulated clip, Pastor Ibiyeomie told his congregation that Jesus never visited the home of any poor person, suggesting this was proof that Christ “hated poverty.”

“Jesus never visited any poor person in his house, that means He hates poverty. Check your Bible, He visited Lazarus, they were not poor, they were giving him food. He visited a sinner called Zacchaeus who was rich. Tell me one poor man that Jesus entered his house—He hates poverty, that is the meaning,” Ibiyeomie said during the sermon.

He added, “You can become poor, but you are not permitted to remain poor. Nothing is wrong with coming to Christ as a poor man, but it is wrong to remain poor.”

However, the controversial comments have sparked swift reactions from several respected clerics who accused Ibiyeomie of preaching a distorted and materialistic gospel.

Reacting to the sermon, Pastor Abel Damina of Power City International described the interpretation as a gross misrepresentation of biblical teachings. He argued that Jesus did not come to promote financial prosperity but to bring salvation and spiritual transformation.

“How can Jesus hate poor people? The Bible says though He was rich, for your sake He became poor so that through His poverty you might be rich—and that richness is not material but spiritual,” Damina said.

The outspoken preacher further pointed to the humble circumstances surrounding Christ’s birth as evidence of His identification with the poor.

“Jesus was born in a manger, to poor parents—Joseph the carpenter and Mary. If He hated poor people, would He not have been born into wealth? He didn’t come through the house of Elon Musk or Bill Gates,” Damina added.

Also weighing in on the controversy, the Lagos State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Bishop Stephen Adegbite, rejected Ibiyeomie’s claims and urged Nigerian Christians to beware of teachings that equate material wealth with divine favor.

“Jesus is a lover of the poor, and that is one of the reasons He came—to uplift the downtrodden and give hope to the hopeless. That message [from Ibiyeomie] is misleading and not in line with the teachings of Christ,” Bishop Adegbite said in a telephone interview.

He also warned believers to be discerning and not be swayed by what he called “fake pastors” who promote prosperity above the core message of salvation.

“By their fruits, we shall know them. Amassing billions is not proof of spiritual depth. The essence of the gospel is salvation—not material gain,” he concluded.

As reactions continue to pour in, many on social media have joined the chorus of criticism, with users debating whether Ibiyeomie’s teachings reflect the true essence of Christianity or a dangerous drift toward a prosperity-centered doctrine.