Founder and Presiding Pastor of Salvation Ministries, David Ibiyeomie, has urged Christians to focus on preaching the love and compassion of Jesus Christ rather than emphasising hell when evangelising to Nigerians facing economic hardship.
Ibiyeomie said many Nigerians were already dealing with severe economic challenges, making messages centred mainly on the consequences of hell less effective in winning people to Christ.
He advised Christians to approach people experiencing hardship with compassion and assure them that God loves them and can transform their circumstances.
The pastor argued that telling Nigerians who are struggling about the suffering of hell may not effectively persuade them to accept Christianity, given the difficulties they are already facing.
He urged Christians to instead tell people that God loves them, can change their circumstances and is ready to show them mercy.
Ibiyeomie said compassion should be at the centre of evangelism, adding that Christians should communicate the love of Jesus to people regardless of their circumstances.
He described compassion as a powerful tool for bringing people to Christ and said it should come from the heart.
The pastor further noted that God himself is compassionate and encouraged Christians to extend the same quality to others.
Citing Psalm 103:8, Ibiyeomie said the Bible describes the Lord as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving devotion.
He added that God does not treat people solely according to their past mistakes and failures, urging those who have experienced God’s compassion to extend the same compassion to others.
Ibiyeomie also referenced Ephesians 4:32 in urging Christians to be kind, compassionate and forgiving towards one another, just as God forgives through Christ.
He described compassion as one of the strongest expressions of God’s nature, stressing that it goes beyond simply feeling sorry for another person.
According to him, genuine compassion involves recognising a person’s situation, caring about what the person is experiencing and taking action to help.
The pastor also said caring for people should not be limited to giving them money, noting that Christians could use their faith and other available means to assist people in need.
