Prominent Nigerian televangelist and author,  Pastor David Ibiyeomie has urged Christians to treat poverty and sickness with the same disdain they show toward sin, insisting that accepting any of the three negates Christ’s sacrifice.

Speaking during a recent message streamed from his Port Harcourt‑based Salvation Ministries headquarters, the clergyman recounted an encounter he described as a Holy Spirit conversation.

“The Spirit told me, ‘I became sin for humanity. … I paid the price for sin, poverty and sickness,’” Ibiyeomie said. “To accept any of them is an affront to Christ’s death and resurrection.”

The pastor argued that while believers should help the poor and evangelize sinners, they must not “identify” or be comfortable with poverty or habitual sin.

Citing biblical passages such as Psalm 1:1 (“Do not sit in the council of the ungodly”), he maintained that Christians cannot be close companions to sinners without compromising their faith.

Ibiyeomie—well‑known for prosperity‑themed sermons—likened complacency toward poverty to spiritual error:

“Why reject sin but accept poverty?” he asked the congregation. “The same way you hate sin, hate poverty and hate sickness.”

The remarks sparked mixed reactions on Nigerian social media. Supporters applauded the message as a call to holistic redemption, while critics accused the pastor of promoting a materialistic gospel in a country where nearly 40 percent of the population lives below the national poverty line (World Bank, 2023).