Pastor David Ibiyeomie of Salvation Ministry has stated that the Holy Spirit told him that he should not associate with the poor.

The clergyman said he got the message after he asked the Holy Spirit if he was right to have said Jesus hates poor people.

Ibiyeomie recently faced backlash from many Christians for saying Jesus hates poor people, adding that he never visited any poor person's house.

His words were met with verses from the Bible, as people proved him wrong and cautioned him against making what they described as a reckless statement.

However, the clergyman is not backing down as he doubled down on his claim, adding that the Holy Spirit backed him up.

He told his congregation, "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 in the bathroom. He said, 'You are not wrong, you are right'. I said, 'How? He said, 'I was made poor so you might be rich'. He said, 'Poverty is not of me. You can help the poor, but not associate with the poor'. He said, "If you do that, then you are saying my death and resurrection are in vain. I died so you can come out of poverty'."

Ibiyeomie then asked his congregation if they would want to stay with the sick and the poor, to which they answered no.

He further stated, "That you don't have money doesn't mean you are poor. Poverty is mentality."

The clergyman stated that the Holy Spirit gave him several scriptures to buttress his claim that Jesus hates poverty.

"It is ignorance that makes people believe that you should stay with the poor," he said.

He further stated that the Holy Spirit paid the price of sin and sickness, adding that to accept any of them is wrong.

Ibiyeomie said, "Why must you reject sin and accept poverty? Who paid the price for poverty? Who paid the price for sin? Do you hate sin? Why don't you hate poverty?"

ASA