Senior Pastor of The Second Coming of Christ Ministry, Adewale Giwa, has sharply criticised the current state of the church, blaming religious leaders for turning it into what he described as a “den of robbers.”
During his Sunday sermon in Akure, Ondo State, Pastor Giwa pointed fingers at fellow clergy for shifting their focus from spiritual matters to material gain.
He said many church leaders now centre their messages on prosperity rather than prayer, warning that this direction is far from what Jesus intended.
Referencing Mark 11:17, Pastor Giwa stated: “In Mark 11 vs 17, Jesus Christ said my house should have been that of prayer but they have turned it into a den of robbers. What does it mean? It means that it should have been a house where people gather to pray fervently to God and not the House where we gather money.
“We preach prosperity, we send prosperity messages out. If you bring N5,000 today, you will make one million tomorrow. ‘He said no my house shouldn’t have been in that mess, it should have been a house of prayer but they have turned it into a den of robbers.’”
He condemned the trend of soliciting unnecessary donations and sending out get-rich-quick messages in the name of faith.
“You have turned it into a den of robbers? The religious leaders, now all you hear is religious leaders doing adverts that Jesus will make you wealthy, heal you and so on.
“How many religious leaders are currently preaching about the redemption of souls, so we have turned his house to the den of robbers.”
The pastor stressed that churches should not be platforms for collecting funds under spiritual pretence.
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“To be stealing, taking money that is not meant for us, making people to donate money instead of making the House that of prayer.”
He urged Christians to focus on genuine repentance and direct prayer to God.
“How can your prayers be answered, forsake your sins and turn to God, that way your prayers will be answered.
“Go straight to the point and ask God for what you want, he will answer because he is our father.”
Pastor Giwa’s message serves as a strong rebuke to modern religious practices, calling for a return to sincere worship and spiritual integrity.