Pastor David Ibiyeomie, the founder of Salvation Ministries, has said that Jesus Christ detested poverty and avoided personal contact with the impoverished during His earthly mission.
In a video that went viral on Sunday, Ibiyeomie addressed his audience and asserted that Jesus never went inside a poor man’s house, citing scripture as evidence of God’s hatred of poverty.
The monk went on to say that in addition to providing salvation, Christ’s death and resurrection also lifted people out of poverty.
He maintained that a lack of spiritual understanding is demonstrated by continuing to live in poverty after accepting Christ.
Ibiyeomie said, “Jesus never visited any poor person in his house, check your bible. That means he hates poverty. He visited Lazarus, they were not poor, they were giving him 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. He hates people who are poor. He died for you not to be poor. How can you now come to church with some 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.”
