Are You a Chief or an Indian? Navigating Your Spiritual Calling in Jesus
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Today, I want to dive into a topic that’s been on my heart, something that echoes a phrase my dad used to say in business, but one that has profound spiritual implications: "Too many chiefs and not enough Indians."
Now, I usually don't like being a "Monday-morning quarterback," talking about things I haven't fully walked out. Well, maybe that's a little bit of a fib – I do enjoy discussing doctrines and truths I'm on the coattails of, things the Spirit is highlighting. Often, these insights come from reading the Bible, when the Spirit of Truth just lights up a passage for me. You know that feeling, right? When the Word becomes quick and alive? The Bible says His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). It carves out a path for us. So, I preach this stuff to myself first, learn to walk the talk, see the light, and then walk in it.
The True "Meat": Doing the Father's Will
I often ponder a powerful passage in John 4:31-36 (KJV):
"In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together."
This is one of the most awesome things about following the Spirit of God: He truly does supply our needs according to His riches in glory! There are keys to the Kingdom, keys to living a victorious Christian life, and they're found in the Bible. The Spirit is eager to show them to us. When Jesus says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33 KJV), He's inviting us to ask, "What's Your will, Lord, and how may I manifest it on earth and finish the work You've laid out for me?" If we do the Lord's will, submitting to His mission (the great co-mission, co-laboring with Christ), He takes care of us, we reap wages, and gather fruit unto eternal life. When this becomes real, it's truly exciting!
As we're in our prayer closets or on prayer walks, seeking the Lord, He illuminates things for us to do. Sometimes it's about being in tune with the Spirit, like having the car radio on, always paying attention as we go through our daily activities. We look for opportunities to do good, and our attention will be drawn to what the Lord wants us to do in that moment. Jesus told His disciples not to premeditate what they'd say, for the Spirit would speak through them (Matthew 10:19-20).
Too Many Chiefs: A Crisis of Premature Leadership
This brings me back to my dad. We'd go on these long road trips, as he was a traveling salesman. We’d often sit in silence, just meditating, and then share what we'd learned or prayed about. Imagine sitting in the car with Dad (God the Father), and He says, "Son/daughter, see that restaurant up ahead? Pull in." We might not know why, but we know it's within His will, part of His plan.
It was on one of these trips, or in one of our business talks, that he said, "Conrad, you see that? There's too many chiefs and not enough Indians." I pondered this for decades. What did he mean? I learned, perhaps from old Westerns (questionable historical accuracy acknowledged!), that chiefs often had many feathers, representing courageous acts in battle. The young braves might have only one. These feathers were earned. People would choose a chief because he'd been through it all, gleaned wisdom, and survived. He could teach others to do the same.
My dad was pointing out that in business, and I see it in the spiritual realm too, everyone wants to be a chief, but many don't have the "courageous acts of battle" under their belt—the notches in their stick, so to speak. Everybody wants to be a leader, but not enough want to be followers, or more accurately, disciples first. This can make a mess.
We see this in the Christian Walk. Many want to be Apostle Paul without enduring the equivalent of his "shipwrecks and stonings" – without the supernatural encounters and hard-won experience. The problem is, they often go out and try to "do it" anyway. This is why I strongly emphasize mentoring. It's like everyone wants to be an apostle, but no one wants to be a disciple.
The Danger of Unbelief, Even with Head Knowledge
This leads to the importance of self-examination. The Lord tries the reins of the heart to see if we truly love Him (Jeremiah 17:10). The root word of "authority" is "author," and Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Something from the Author hit me hard recently during our daily Bible reading. It's from John chapter 5, verses 45-47 (KJV), where Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees:
"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"
Think about this. The Pharisees trusted Moses so much they shaped their entire lives according to what Moses said in the scriptures—or rather, how they perceived the text. They memorized the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and large portions of the Old Testament. And then Jesus, the living Word (John 1:1, 1:14), tells them they don't believe Moses! Doesn't that strike you as incredibly odd and deeply serious?
Apostle Paul, before his conversion (as Saul), was exactly like this. He had memorized the Torah and was persecuting Christians under the perceived authority of what Moses said. Saul even had validation from higher-up religious authorities who agreed with his interpretation. Yet, Jesus was telling people just like Saul that they didn't truly believe Moses. Effectively, Jesus was saying, "There are too many chiefs (self-appointed authorities based on misapplied scripture) and not enough Indians (humble followers truly listening to God)."
Hearing God's Voice: The Missing Feather for Many "Chiefs"
Before this, Jesus said something crucial in John 5:37-40 (KJV), emphasizing the spiritual, experiential relationship with God:
"And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."
Notice Jesus appeals to the scriptures, which testify of Him. But He also points out a massive deficiency in these religious leaders: "Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape." Pause and let that sink in. These were teachers of the Word of God, yet Jesus says they're in serious error because they lacked a genuine, personal, supernatural encounter with God.
This is why this might shatter some conventional views of Christianity. Jesus drives home the fact that their never having heard God's voice or seen His shape was directly connected to their unbelief in what the scriptures truly said, despite their meticulous study. The scriptures pointed to the Messiah, to Jesus, but they missed Him. Their eschatology (study of end times) had painted a picture of a different kind of Messiah, a political one, and they missed the spiritual reality standing before them. Too many chiefs, not enough true, listening Indians.
This should make us consider James 3:1 (KJV): "My brethren, be not many masters [teachers], knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation." "Too many chiefs..."
As I "Monday-morning quarterback" this for myself, digging into the truth of scripture, it becomes overwhelmingly clear: it is vitally important to hear the voice of God, to have those supernatural encounters, to "see His shape." This is what puts a genuine "feather in our cap," a true "notch in our stick." This "feather" comes from actually going into battle, from lived experience where our walk matches our talk.
The apostles, when chosen, had to have been with Jesus, heard Him (Acts 1:21-22). Then Paul comes along, an apostle "out of due season" (1 Corinthians 15:8), who claims to have heard the voice of Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Paul went from being like the Pharisees Jesus chided – someone with head knowledge but no direct divine encounter – to someone who did hear God's voice. That encounter changed everything.
From Called to Commissioned: The Path of Preparation
This is where mentorship becomes crucial, like Paul mentoring Timothy. Paul told Timothy to "stir up the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands" (2 Timothy 1:6 KJV). There's an impartation, a passing of a mantle, a guidance from someone who has the "notches."
So, how do we apply this to our Christian Walk today? There's a difference between a calling and a commission. Many sense a call from God on their lives, and that's wonderful! God plants desires in our hearts (Psalm 37:4). But they might not have enough "notches" yet, not enough battles won, not enough experience. They have zeal, and I had it too, but zeal without knowledge can be dangerous.
Proverbs 19:2-3 (KJV) warns: "Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth. The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the Lord." Going too fast without knowledge, without the proper preparation and seasoning, can lead to "sinning against the Lord," or missing the mark.
So, what's the path from a heartfelt calling to a true commissioning?
1. Seek Mentors: Find your "Pauls," those who are already walking in the prophetic and supernatural, who have the wisdom that comes from experience. Look into ministries already doing what the Lord is putting on your heart.
2. Be Faithful in Little: Luke 16:10-12 (KJV) is powerful: "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?" Before you can have "your own" (your unique ministry or commission), you often need to be faithful in "another man's" – serving, learning, growing under established leadership.
3. Embrace the Process and Timing: The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:19-21 KJV) shows that "after a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them." It can feel like a long time when you have that zeal for God. But the one who was faithful over a few things was made ruler over many things. It's about God's timing.
Trusting God for Promotion
Let's examine ourselves. Do we have enough "notches in our stick"? Have we been through enough spiritual battles? Have we gotten the "beam" out of our own eye before trying to remove the speck from our brother's (Matthew 7:3-5)? There's a chronology there: first deal with your own stuff, then you can see clearly to help others.
I want to leave you with Psalm 75:4-7 (KJV):
"I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another."
Promotion, true spiritual authority, comes from God in His timing. He is Lord.
My prayer for you today is that the zeal you have in your heart will be guided, nurtured, and brought to full fruition, moving from a calling to a divine commissioning.
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