find the few

Religion has accepted the monstrous heresy that noise, size, activity and bluster make a man dear to God.

A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you

Jesus

I have met many people over the course of my life, but few that have deeply changed me.

One of those who did is a man named Jeff Spencer.  

When I first met Jeff, he was working for the Australian Government, and I was working at a butcher shop. I was a new believer, drenched with zeal, but lacking direction and skills in my faith. 

Jeff offered to help me learn how to walk with Jesus, and I’ve been on that road for 30 years now because he did.

Jeff was a man of the few.

He taught at our youth group, and led from the front, but his heart wasn’t in the many; it was in the few. Jeff believed in going deep and that disciples could not be mass-produced. That meant that discipleship and ministry would require time, depth, sacrifice, and attention. These are the gifts he gave me.

Jeff started coming over to my house in the very early mornings to help me go deep with God. He taught me how to study the Bible, share my faith, fight sin, memorize scripture, and pour into others. 

I am who I am today in my forties because of the faithfulness of a man when I was a teenager.

Many have preached to me; few poured into me. I am grateful for Jeff including me as one of his few.

The older I get, and the longer I serve Jesus, the more those early lessons of discipleship rise up in my heart.

I want to be a man of the few.
_________________________________

We live in a world of influencers; those whose opinions and preferences shape who we are. However, this is often only on the surface level. Influence is easy, but imparting the heart of Jesus from one life to another is hard. 

I don’t want to be an influencer; I want to be a discipler. I want to be a man who helps shape other men for the future that God has for them. Like Jeff, I want to find the few. 

This is a decision every man must make. Will we be men who appease the crowds, or men who go deep with a few?

Robert Coleman clarifies this choice well. 

"We must decide where we want our ministry to count, in the momentary applause of popular recognition or in the reproduction of our lives in a few chosen people who will carry on our work after we have gone."

Jesus preached to the crowds, but He poured into the core.
Find the few.
Jesus had a ministry of deliverance, but His mission was discipleship.
Find the few.
Jesus revealed Himself to His generation, but reserved His heart for the remnant.
Find the few. 

When Jesus rose from the dead, He didn’t go to Rome, confront the high priest, or appear to the world at large. Jesus went and found the few.

The few who would be loyal unto death.
The few who would embody His heart.
The few who would take His message to the end of the earth.

The truth is, only a handful of men in this world will be given large platforms and popular recognition. Trying to be one of those is a waste of time. 

But every man can make a difference in the life of a few. 

You don’t need a bunch of followers, money, success, or recognition to shape the future. Just find a few people willing to go all in and give yourself to them. 

The next men’s movement is not going to be about the masses and the media. It’s going to be about depth and discipleship. 

God is raising up spiritual fathers who will find the few.

You don't need a whole men's ministry; you just need a couple of men.
You don't need to host an event; you can just create space at your table.
You don’t need to get attention; you need to give attention to the few the Lord will give you.

We have all been moved by the St. Crispin’s Day speech given by King Henry V to his troops before the Battle of Agincourt on St. Crispin’s Day...

From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be remember’d.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he today that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition:

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

A band of brothers isn’t built on the masses. It isn’t built on cultural banter.
It’s built with a few men who will bleed together, go deep together, fight for each other’s hearts, and be faithful for the long haul.

Who are your chosen few?
Who is Jesus giving you to love, serve, and develop?
It’s time to build that band of brothers.

May God give you the grace to be a man of the few.
May your fruit show up on other people’s trees; the fruit of love, belief, and hope for the generation to come.

Here to find the few.

Cheers.

Jon.

P.S.- If you want to build your brotherhood but don’t know where to start, why not grab a copy of Fighting Shadows with a couple of other men and start going deep.You have a few more days to take advantage of the buy one, get one free offer. Check it out HERE, and let’s start finding the few.