Pastor David Ibiyeomie has stirred reactions after urging Christian preachers to focus on messages of hope, love and transformation when evangelising to Nigerians.
The pastor, while speaking about the effectiveness of preaching about hell as a means of winning souls, argued that many Nigerians are already experiencing severe economic and social hardships.
According to Ibiyeomie, warning Nigerians about the suffering associated with hell may not effectively convince them to accept Christ because many already perceive their current circumstances as hellish.
“You can imagine preaching hell to Nigerians. They are already in hell. There’s no way you preach hell to Nigerians and anybody will be born again,” he said.
He urged pastors to instead emphasise God’s love and His ability to transform people’s lives.
“Just tell them God loves you. He can change your story. Then the man says, ‘Eh ehn,’ then you say, ‘Come to Jesus,’” he added.
Ibiyeomie further explained that repeatedly warning Nigerians about hell could fail to achieve the desired result, given the level of hardship many people are experiencing.
“But if you say you go to hell, the man will say, ‘Ah! The suffering, the suffering we are suffering now, what is it? Already the suffering is what?’ So that kind of message can’t convert one soul,” he said.
