Pastor David Ibiyeomie, founder of Salvation Ministries, has stated that Jesus Christ despises poverty and deliberately avoided close association with poor individuals during His earthly ministry.
In a sermon clip that began trending on Sunday, the cleric told his congregation that, according to scripture, Jesus never entered the home of a poor man—a fact he interprets as evidence that Jesus disapproves of poverty.
He emphasized that Christ’s mission on earth was not only to bring salvation but also to deliver believers from poverty. “Jesus never visited any poor person in his house, check your Bible,” Ibiyeomie said. “That means He hates poverty. He visited Lazarus—they were not poor; they gave Him food. He visited a sinner, Zacchaeus, who was rich. Show me one poor man whose house Jesus entered. He hates poverty. That’s the meaning. He hates people who are poor.”
He added that it is acceptable to come to Christ while poor, but not to remain in that state. “You can come poor, but you’re not permitted to remain poor,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with coming to Christ as a poor man, but it’s wrong to stay poor. It is wrong
