Enoch is a movie based on the true-life story of the General overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye. It was produced by Kehinde Sodeinde and John Oguntase. It was written and directed by Damilola Mike-Bamiloye, and co-directed by John Oguntase. Pastor E.A. Adeboye is a father, mentor, and standing image of God’s relentless love to the Nigerian church and many churches worldwide. When the movie was set to be released, more than a year before its eventual release date, the excitement was palpable. Enoch was eventually released on March 2nd, 2023, and has become a household name since then.
The movie starts with a foray into Adejare’s (Enoch’s) family and the abject poverty they lived in. Their standard of living was so bad that the patriarch of the family had to save for a very long time to buy an umbrella. The excitement at which the entire family surrounded the umbrella drove tears to my eyes. This scene intelligently captures the state of poverty that Daddy GO came from, one which many don’t even believe exists. From an early age, Enoch was favored by God and men, as can be seen by his father entrusting the beloved umbrella into Enoch’s care, above his other siblings.
I loved every bit of the cinematography, from the ardent attention to detail, to the perspective from which every scene was shot. I loved how delicate and powerful the music was. Every scene came alive with the right melodies, and the theme song ‘Dide!’ was the highlight for me. The music was spearheaded by Joshua Mike-Bamiloye, and it is quite evident that God breathes on him afresh for every movie soundtrack he makes. It is amazing how the entire Bamiloye family has graces specifically attuned to movie production.
We see how the main character moves from his village to school and how poverty continues to dog his every step, earning Enoch the nickname ‘natural shoes’ from his classmates. This was another heart-wrenching experience as his poverty became obvious for all to see. He even had to borrow shoes and trousers to attend his own graduation ceremony. The fact that he was the best student in his class must have fanned the flames of jealousy in the hearts of his classmates, but nothing could deter him from his goal. This taught me resilience in such an astounding manner; anyone who wants to be great must grow a skin thick enough to withstand mockery and disgrace.
One of my best parts of the movies was when Enoch met his wife, Foluke. Although Enoch was an intelligent young man with many women flocking around him, his exhaustion was visible from not having found his significant other. I could relate to his tiredness when his friends teased him tirelessly about his many ‘girlfriends’ and opened his birthday gifts, one of which was a pack of cheap sweets and a love letter. Sweets and a love letter to entice a ladies’ man? Sister Dupe come on now!
However, when he met Foluke, his world seemed to brighten just a bit more. Everything became simple and just made sense. With a gift of a Bible and a handkerchief, Foluke had unwittingly captured the heart other ladies could not.
There was an efficient dose of humor in the movie, from his friends to his wife, then the herbalists who had more problems than their client, even to Baba Akindayomi, and the young pastor who couldn’t say no to pounded yam and egusi soup. The movie is a sure track record that serving God doesn’t make your life boring as the world likes to paint it. Truly, in the presence of God, there’s fullness of joy. I laughed hard when even after subjecting himself and his wife to fourteen days of fasting and prayer to stop him from being ordained a pastor, the Lord didn’t cancel the thought in the heart of Baba Akindayomi. Not only was Enoch ordained as a pastor, he eventually became Baba Akindayomi’s successor.
There were numerous lessons I learnt while watching Enoch; I learnt that “God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” He calls those who are flexible enough to follow His every word as it comes. Enoch wasn’t qualified in his own eyes to be a pastor, but when God gave any instruction, even to the emptying of his bank account, he and his beloved wife did not hesitate to obey. Vulnerability and obedience to every leading and instruction from God make God’s heart flutter with pride. This is the key to becoming a man after God’s own heart.
The place of prayer and the word cannot be overemphasized. As the Lord directed Enoch, he prayed, he prayed for guidance, he prayed for wisdom, and he prayed for understanding. Every move he made was wrapped in prayer, even when he was about to make the painful decision of leaving his own mother in the embrace of sickness to go do the Lord’s work, he prayed. Prayer cannot be trivialized in the life of a believer, if Pastor E.A. Adeboye prayed and he’s still praying, who are you not to pray?
When Baba Akindayomi described the Bible to him as “a letter from a father in a faraway land to his son.”, it was electrifying for me and it brought a certain kind of awareness about the Word of God, and Enoch went ahead to read the Bible, day and night.
I also learnt about the beauty of discipleship. Enoch, despite having a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, humbled himself under Baba Akindayomi who was not as educated as he was. At first, he belittled the church, but when he saw that God was with Baba Akindayomi, he humbled himself to learn from him. I can’t imagine what would have happened if he thought himself too big. True anointing does not disregard the place of stewardship. Even if you have been graced to heal the sick and raise the dead, it does not cancel all the courses that you haven’t learnt under spiritual authority, neither does it give you room to disrespect and disregard the people God has placed in authority over you.
Obedience, the Bible says, is better than sacrifice. Many people like to count the cost of obedience, but as Kenneth Hagin used to say, it doesn’t cost to obey, it pays. If Pastor E.A. Adeboye did not obey the Lord, countless lives which he should have impacted would have been left to their own devices. He might have become the youngest vice chancellor in Africa like he wanted to, but it would have been at the cost of too many destinies, including his own. Obedience is relative, yours may not be to leave your lofty career, it might just be to pray for a while, to study, or to serve, whatever you know the Lord is leading you to do, obey wholeheartedly to avoid running round in too many circles in life.
Enoch wasn’t just a movie for me, it was an experience that I pray I’ll never recover from. Seeing what made such a mighty man of God what he is today, is evidence that God never forsakes his own as long as we follow Him diligently. If Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye left all his ambitions to follow God, and he’s still following God despite all of the challenges that he goes through, what excuse do I have? It is clearly depicted in the last scenes that God has a track record of keeping His word; He has given to Enoch all and even more than what He promised when He called him to service. All in all, the movie is 100% for me, if you haven’t seen it then you should, trust me it’s worth every minute of your time. If you’re wondering where you’ll find the movie, look no further the movie link is provided for you below.
Thank you for capturing this! This looks like watching the summary of Enoch via your pen! More grace sir.
My takeaway from the movie was when Baba Akindayomi took a recorder and captured his voice, hoping that one day Enoch would find it. These men understood the power of media, as far back as then. He knew that anywhere and anything time the cassette is being played, all arguments cease.
I totally agree sir. Thank you very much sir