EXTRA: Only poor people put on phones in church, says Ibiyeomie

David Ibiyeomie, the presiding pastor of Salvation Ministries, says anyone whose mobile phone rings in church is “poor”.

Preaching at his church in Rivers state on Sunday, Ibiyeomie said wealthy people do not leave their phones turned on in church because they want to concentrate.

During the sermon, what appeared to be a phone’s ringtone rang out, and the pastor said the owner of the mobile device was a “poor man”.

“Whoever has that phone, you have a problem and the problem is that you are a poor man,” he said.

“Anybody whose phone rings in church, his thinking is poor. He is waiting for someone to call him, instead of thinking of what we are talking [about].

“Rich people do not [put] on phones in church — the wealthy — because they don’t want anyone to disturb them. Poor people put it on because they want alert. It is a sign of poverty. You will never see a wealthy man [put] on phone. He will say ‘I want to concentrate’.”

Ibiyeomie also said the difference between the rich and poor is the way they think.

“The difference between the rich and the poor man is the way they think. We have three sets of people. We have the poor, the rich and the wealthy. The poor are the ones who think about money all the time,” the pastor said.

“The rich talk about things and the wealthy talk about ideas. The wealthy do not pursue money; they pursue ideas. Ideas bring money. The poor talks about how to get money. You don’t go for money but for ideas.

“Ideas are invisible and that is where the Holy Spirit comes in.”