All Nations Church overseer Bishop Timothy Chisala says, “If today we have leaders who fear God, they cannot steal from the poor. Only leaders who don’t fear God can steal and subject our people to poverty. You can’t be a proud leader when your people are suffering. It pains to see leaders elected by the people change cars like no man’s business. They have free things, yet steal from the poor people. Our leaders do not care and we should hold them accountable. If today, we have a President who can allow fuel to be increased, mealie-meal to keep going up, then what is he doing in State House? The responsibility of a leader is to ensure that he allows his people to eat first than himself.
We the Church have allowed the leaders to manipulate our people and think poverty is the way of life. Why should we keep quiet when they are stealing our money? When they are abusing our people, when people are dying of poverty? We need to speak about these evil acts. The responsibility of the Church is to help and speak for the people. The same people we preach to are the same people who these politicans want to lie to. When they have the poor, they forget about you. Today, we need to keep them in check…Sin should be called by its name. If people are suffering and someone is stealing, we should call that by its name.”

In the Bible, God speaks often of the poor and needy. He commands us to give generously to them and to speak up on their behalf.
In Proverbs we are commanded:
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9);
“Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life” (Proverbs 22:22-23); “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you’ – when you already have it with you” (Proverbs 3:27-28);
“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).

The sanctity of life is present all throughout scripture. In these scriptures, we see the call to care for the forgotten, oppressed, and downcast. These scriptures should speak to our call as Christians to love our brothers and sisters and to serve others.
“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (Proverbs 14:31).
God clearly has a special place in His heart for the poor. We are called to be sensitive to their situation and are challenged to not harden our heart to them. But how many of our pastors, priests, bishops have turned their backs on the poor in favour of the well-to-do? They are much eager to pray for the powerful and well-to-do! They are much closer to them than to the poor! They hardly speak for the poor in any meaningful way or when and where it really matters. They have no problems being in the company of crooks, corrupt elements who are robbing the poor. They are always on the side of corrupt politicians and regimes. Look at how comfortable they are in the company of Edgar Lungu and his corrupt regime!