Bishop Adeoye Charges Wealthy Nigerians to Remember the Poor

Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

The Presiding Bishop of Sufficient Grace and Truth International Ministries, Bishop Seun Adeoye, has asked rich Nigerians to remember the poor, saying whatever wealth the rich people possess was not meant for their pleasures alone but to help others as well.

Besides, the cleric, who is also the International Communication Director of Worldwide Anglican Church (WAC), urged rich Nigerian pastors to focus on helping the downtrodden instead of investing on self-seeking multi-billion naira projects with little or no impact in the lives of people.

Bishop Adeoye in a statement issued yesterday at his church’s headquarters in Okinni, Osun State, titled: ‘Let us be that good Samaritan’, noted that most of the Nigerian rich pastors have abandoned the true gospel of Christ for the pursuits of worldly fames.

He said: “It is sad to realise that out of 10 richest pastors in the world, eight of them are Nigerians. But it is unfortunate that rather than use their wealth to help the poor around them, majority of them are living in affluence and engaging in ephemeral projects.

“It is a shame that our big pastors showcase their wealth and even compete with one another. They build walls around themselves and clamoured for people’s worship to massage their egos. Let’s note that our days are numbered.

“In the midst of hunger and sufferings, our rich pastors are busy planning to ride the latest cars and even fly in jets around the world. The wealthy pastors are struggling to build ‘one-in-town’ cathedrals as if God wants to live in a house built by men.

Quoting from the Book of Luke chapter 10 verses 33 to 37, the cleric queried: “Did clergymen understand that God allowed such wealth to get into their hands because of their vantage positions as shepherds?

“The last instructions to Peter by our Lord Jesus was: ‘Feed my sheep’ and not ‘acquired worldly wealth’. And Christ’s expectations from the church are: ‘feed the hungry, help the widows, lift the hands of the weak, cloth the naked and more’. We are to bring people into God’s Kingdom by our deeds and not by flaunting our wealth. Repent sirs!”

Bishop Adeoye, who is also the spokesman of World Bishops Council (WBC) Africa, also challenged other wealthy and influential Nigerians to share with the needy, saying the level of poverty in the country calls for urgent attention.

According to the cleric, rich people are God’s stores, and it will be sinful if they selfishly monopolize such wealth for themselves and family members without sharing them with the downtrodden.

“Just like the big pastors, we also have thousands of big men and women. I wish to let us know that the Almighty has no record of how much we possessed in our bank accounts or how big our investments are but how many people we are able to help and lift out of poverty,” he said.

He counselled those who have been in the habits of helping the poor to redouble their efforts in such philanthropic gestures, adding that many Nigerians are facing difficulties due to the current economic meltdown in the country.