Legion (Ten lessons for believers)
Mount Zion Faith Ministries is a household name in the average Nigerian Christian family. It is a faith-based film production company founded by evangelist Mike Ayobami Bamiloye. There are several gospel film production organizations in Nigeria today, but Mount Zion is undoubtedly one of the pioneers. Since the early 1990s, they have produced many inspiring and uplifting films, such as Agbara Nla and Apoti Eri, as well as more recent ones, like Abejoye.
The mandate of the Mount Zion Ministry is to share the gospel through film. This mandate has been successfully passed to the next generation of gospel ministers. As the children of Mike Bamiloye have several movies under their belts, one of these is Legion, which was written, produced, and directed by Damilola Mike Bamiloye.
I had the opportunity to watch the movie Legion some months back in a Christian youth fellowship. This one-hour, 35-minute movie was packed from the beginning to the end. It was a Holy Spirit-inspired film with messages for both you and me. It had me laughing, anxious, on the edge of my seat, and finally in tears at the final scene.
The plot
The story tells us about two desperate young men: one named Fred and his friend Zach. They both do shady business, as they scam people for a living. They realize their scams are not working out as well as they used to, so they go to great lengths to improve their illegal business and become wealthy.
An important statement from this story is that anyone who does not have the righteousness of God is seen as a madman. This is apparent from the very first scene, where we see Fred in tattered clothes, receiving praise from fellow dishevelled-looking people like him. This scene is an excellent lesson for believers.
Fred might have been wealthy in the real world, with people flocking around him for his money. But to God, Fred and the people around him were nothing short of insane. It does not matter how the world sees them; it does not matter if they appear like kings to the world; in the sight of God, they stand in filthy rags. Imagine that.
Aside from the main lesson in the film, I've selected ten things from it that I'd like to share with you. It was a beautiful film, and I could not help but share my thoughts about the movie Legion. At this point, there are many spoilers ahead. If you haven’t watched the movie, you should stop now, watch it, and then come back to read.
Lesson 1: Don’t make money an idol
Money is essential. We need it to survive, feed ourselves, and enjoy the good things in life. God knows we need money. If he can provide for the lilies and the birds of the air, imagine the great things he has in store for us, created in his image. He has promised to provide all our needs according to his riches in glory. God has many promises for us concerning money in his word. You can find some of them here.
The moment you become impatient and want to make money like Fred right now, you give the devil a foothold in your life. Excessive love of money will make you dip your hands in sin and take you far away from your creator. Do not despise these days of small beginnings. There is a time to sow, and there is a time to harvest. As a youth, this is your time to plant; be patient for your time of harvest. Don’t be pressured by the life of affluence you see on social media or by people around you; seek the things of God first, and all other things shall be added to you.
Lesson 2: Make Godly Relationships
Friendships or romantic relationships that do not edify God or draw you away from God should be discarded. Psalm 1:1 says, "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers." The NLT version explains it further by saying one does not take advice from the wicked.
We can pick three examples of relationships from this movie.
- The Friendship between David and Titi
- The Friendship between Fred and Zach
- The relationship between Fred and Titi
The first example of David and Titi is an example of a godly relationship. David saw his friend Titi going astray and did well to call her to order. On the other hand, the friendship between Fred and Zach led to death, while Fred and Titi’s relationship almost led to Titi’s death. The Bible tells us to flee from temptation, and one way for the devil to tempt you is through ungodly friends.
Lesson 3: The devil never gives a free gift.
The devil never gives a free gift, and like Fred’s dad said, all he gives are beautifully packaged time bombs waiting to explode, and that is precisely what happened to Fred and Zach. After adding Plus to Yahoo, they made 100,000 dollars, or about 75 million naira. That’s a whole lot of money. They went clubbing, Fred bought a new car, and women flocked around them, but how much of it were they able to spend before things went south?
The only family member we knew that Zach had was the first person he had to kill. It was apparent that Zach loved his sister; see how much he tried to separate her from Fred. He was a protective big brother, yet he killed her with his hands. Fred cared for Titi too, maybe not enough to get married, but he wanted to get her jewelry, cars, and more jewelry. Now that he had made money, he had to kill the same person he wanted to spend it on.
God owns the heavens and the earth, and all power in heaven and on earth belongs to him; he has the power to make rich, and according to Proverbs 10:22, his blessings add no sorrow. This is something that the devil can never do. Why not wait on the blessings of the Lord?
Lesson 4: The spiritual controls the physical.
This movie did a great job demonstrating this. The Spiritual controls the Physical. Everything that was happening to Fred in the spiritual realm was happening physically as well. It surprises me that some Christians still think this physical earth is all there is. Everything that happens here has been ordained in the spiritual realm. It might seem foolish to you, but it isn’t.
1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV: The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
This is why as a youth, you must be spirit-filled and prayerful. Being young is not reason enough for you to relax and have a bad prayer life, allocate time to fast, pray, read God’s word and have vigils.
Lesson 5: The importance of intercession
Do you know why Titi was not killed despite her foolishness and stubbornness? It was the intercession of her parents. The intercession of Fred’s father is also what led to Fred’s deliverance.
Prayer is a powerful tool, and intercession (praying for someone else) means giving all power to the Holy Spirit and telling him to take control. When you evangelise or share the gospel, you should take time to intercede for who you preached to. This way, the seed you have sown in their hearts can germinate and bear good fruits. You can intercede for your parents, children, loved ones, church, nation and so on.
Lesson 6: Proper Parenting.
Despite this movie being more for the youth, it had a message for parents as well. Fred’s dad sending him out of the house and staying out of touch with his son for ten years was an awful thing to do.
Ephesians 6:4 says Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
You can’t solve all problems through aggression or violence, and you are responsible for how your children turn out. The issues you cannot solve by shouting can be solved on your knees with God. God has the heart of that child who is causing you concern. Despite all the shouting and slapping Titi’s mom did, Titi did not listen and went ahead to do what she wanted. Your job is to train that child in the way of the Lord and report the rest to God in prayer.
I want to believe one of the reasons Fred was reluctant to do some of the things Zach suggested, for example, why he didn’t kill Titi, is because of the foundation of God’s word in his heart. He still remembered a memory verse, no matter how much he tried to push it away. The seed of God’s word might be all you need to save that child. Make sure you occasionally preach the gospel to your children, listen to them, and know what is going on in their lives.
Lesson 7: Disobedience is a spirit of destruction
The Bible tells us to obey our parents and honor our fathers and mothers. This verse has two promises attached to it.
- So it may go well with you.
- So you may live long on earth.
If you decide to disobey your parents and bring heartache, shame and sorrow to them, you have put yourself under a curse. The opposite will happen to you, things will not go well with you, and you will not live long on earth.
Titi’s disobedience to her parents would have led to her immediate death and destruction. When everyone is advising a person, and they keep being stubborn and hard-hearted, they are headed to destruction. There are many examples in the Bible of disobedient people who destroyed themselves: Pharaoh, the Sons of Eli, Saul, and so on.
Lesson 8: God speaks to and directs his children
God has many ways to send help and speak to his children. One of them is through dreams. In the movie, Fred’s father had a nightmare about his son. God directed him to a Bible verse, and he knew immediately to amend their relationship. Titi’s mom also had a dream about Titi and took action immediately. Hearing from God is important, so the devil does not rob you of your possessions. This is how God warns Christians about impending danger; it is also how he directs them.
There is a prayer that Fred’s father prayed when he was looking for his son. He said God would direct me to where my son is. God’s direction is crucial to our lives; he knows the end from the beginning, and he knows your purpose. Always seek his voice and guidance.
Lesson 9: Efe ( Zach’s Sister)
Efe was a bubbling character full of life, and the way she died was sad, but there is no way she did not know her brother and Fred engaged in fraud. She knew, and she decided to do nothing about it.
Romans 1: 32: Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
You sin not only by participating in sin but also by approving of it. It makes her an accomplice. Sadly, Efe was collateral damage in this movie.
Lesson 10: You can’t run from your past
Despite God's merciful grace in Fred's life, he was saved from the worst possible fate—dying as an unbeliever. The second death, there is no greater sorrow than that. He still had to go to jail for killing Fred and the numerous lives he had destroyed through fraud. That $100,000 did not fall from the sky; someone’s hard work and sweat was stolen. Many lives have been destroyed by fraud. Consider the Apostle Paul, who God powerfully used to advance the gospel. But he still had to pay for the innocent lives he took.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and learned one or two from it. If you did, don’t forget to share and clap. God bless you.