Founder of Salvation Ministries, Pastor David Ibiyeomie, has responded to the backlash surrounding his recent sermon in which he claimed that Jesus Christ hates poverty and did not associate with poor people during His earthly ministry.
The controversial statement, which went viral on social media, drew heavy criticism, with many accusing the pastor of promoting classism and distorting biblical teachings.
In the viral clip, Ibiyeomie had said, “Jesus did not visit the home of anyone who was poor,” sparking outrage online.
Critics argued that his interpretation was not only unbiblical but also insensitive to the struggles of many believers.
However, in a follow-up message that appears to address the criticism directly, Ibiyeomie stood by his words, insisting that his message was divinely inspired.
He said he sought guidance from the Holy Spirit after learning that his sermon had caused an uproar online.
“People were calling me. One or two persons were calling me, saying the internet is on fire. I said what is on fire? I don’t even know what is on fire. I’m not interested,” he said.
“But out of curiosity, I said Holy Spirit, if I’m wrong, tell me and I will never say I’m right when I’m wrong. He was dictating God’s word to me verbatim. He said ‘you are not wrong, you are right.’ I said how? He said listen, and he began to break down scriptures.”
The pastor explained that the Holy Spirit drew a parallel between sin and poverty, instructing him that Christians should hate poverty just as they hate sin.
“He said I became sin for humanity. True? I said yes. He said you became sin. He said that’s why we must not….He said do you like sin? I said no. He said Christians hate sin?
“I said yes. He said can you be a friend to a sinner? He said no. He said you can only lead people to Christ but you cannot be a friend to a sinner.”
Citing scriptures that warn believers not to “sit in the counsel of the ungodly,” Ibiyeomie further argued that Christians should not align themselves closely with anything that contradicts God’s nature—including poverty.
“Is that not true? He quoted Bible scriptures for me. And he said ‘don’t sit in the counsel of the ungodly.’ We say so. Is that not true? If a believer is mixing with sinners, I think you say why is this man mixing with sinners?
“Don’t you say so? I think you say so? You say why can’t this man lead people to Christ? You say why is this man, why is he mixing with sinners? Everybody gets angry when a believer is mixing with sinners,” he added.
Despite the widespread backlash, Ibiyeomie’s latest remarks make it clear that he remains convinced his message was spiritually accurate and aligned with scripture.
