Early Christian spirituality of elections: Implications for contemporary Pentecostals

Abstract

Background: Elections play a pivotal role in the polity of Pentecostals in matters of leadership and problem-solving. At the root of Pentecostal theology is the Holy Spirit as the denominator and guide for both spirituality and politics. Early Christian Pentecostal practices form a bedrock from which the current Pentecostal adherents derive their normative experiences.
Objectives: This article reveals that problems within Pentecostalism are ancient and that an adequate model for solving them is available in the Word of God. With keen interest in the strategy employed when problems arose and the roles of both the human and the divine in solving them, this article presents a clearly articulated template for guidance.
Methods: Using a text-immanent approach that draws on impulses from discourse analysis and a multidimensional approach to Acts 6:1–7, this study reflects on both the methods used then and their implications for elections within Pentecostals today.
Results: This study reveals that just as pre-eminence in elections is given to the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and Faith, which resulted in unity, growth, and coercion in the church, the same components are still relevant and significant in elections and problem-solving within the current Pentecostal movement.
Conclusion: Central to the Pentecostal problem-solving and working of the Holy Spirit is the Word of God, the Holy Spirit himself, and faith. When this trinity is applied well, the church will experience growth both numerically and in the kind of people who come. The church will be healthy, and people’s needs will be met.
Contribution: This article identifies the components crucial to the health of the Pentecostal church, enabling it to adequately fulfil its mandate to reach the lost and equip the found, unlike the current setup, which is characterised by divisions, confusion, and a lack of coherence.