Pastor of Remnant Christian Network in Warri, Delta State, Rev Kesiena Esiri has taken a swipe at preachers who preach that money and material possessions are necessary for the gospel to be effective.
In a message monitored by Church Times online, Esiri said it is wrong to teach that material things have a lot to do with preaching the gospel while insisting that the gospel alone is the power of God and nothing more.
According to him, “if God will need you to be rich for the gospel to be potent, the gospel then must be useless. Paul said I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because in it, is the power of God unto salvation.
“The gospel does not need padding for it to be powerful. If it is the gospel you preach, in it is power. It does not need your bank account it does not need your suit. If not, some of us would not have been able to shift the heart of men through the power of the holy spirit’
He noted that many people get excited when they hear preachers hype wealth. “In those days when we had no work, we spent time praying and would always say, one day, we too would drive our Benz and we would talk about a future of plenty.
“Thank God, he did not give me that car. If men would only believe because you drive a car, there is something wrong with that message. Conviction in the heart of men is not a product of material things. Jesus said when the spirit of truth comes, he will convict men of the world of sin. He does the conviction, not your money.”
Esiri said many people are turning away from the faith because they were not told when they became Christians they would go through tribulation. “They were not told that in the package they would suffer.”
He said further, “The car you drive does not make the word of God potent in your mouth. Jesus said the words I speak to you are spirit and life. If we see men that are dying and we refuse to tell them because we don’t have a car, God will request the blood of that generation from our hands.”
He added that “it is not enough to be in the faith. The question is do you know God? You don’t need a keyboard to worship God. You can be alone with God and you will be reaching God not because you want more money but because you know him.”
He explained that the first sacrifice God demands from us is to give our lives to him. “Once you surrender your life to God, he does not need your permission to break you. It is at that point you know that you know God.”
Referring to Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians to come out from among those who are living sinful lives, he said, “Paul was writing that letter to people in Church. It is possible to be in church and still be in Babylon. He was not directing his letter to unbelievers.
“He was saying it to those in the church. He said to them, come out from among them and be separate. He also said touch not the unclean thing. So, it is possible to be in church and be touching the unclean thing. It is not everybody that is in church that has come out of the world system.
“There are people that are in Church that are still controlled by their appetite. Everything about them is still under the canopy of demonic spirits. Even when you join the church you must know how to come out from sinful people and habits.”