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@notuptome
In the video the man of God explains the difference between being saved and being baptized in the Holy Spirit -- two different events. But in this post I will give you Scriptural evidence for it so you don't have to watch the video if you don't want to.
You can be saved without being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
However, Jesus Himself (and after that, the apostles) made it clear that He wanted His followers to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit because it was (and still is) the gift that the Father promised to give to those who obey Him, and because it's a powerful spiritual 'tool' that empowers us, edifies us, and allows us to intercede in prayer for things and people that our natural mind has no awareness of.
Please consider the following Scriptures and see how they apply to what I have shared (and please, do not skip them, but read through them all and see how the Word of God reveals the truth of the matter):
Matthew 3:11 ESV
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
^ It is literally written here in the Word of God. Baptize
with the Holy Spirit and fire. It is not the same thing as being born again (see below).
Acts 1:4-5 ESV
And while staying with them he [Jesus]
ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for
the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
^ Notice that Jesus was talking to His disciples, and they were already believers, and He had already breathed on them, so they were born again at that point, and saved (
John 20:21-22 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this,
he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.)
Notice too, that He
ordered them to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit [
after they got "born again"]. Clearly a very important matter to our Lord.
Acts 1:8 ESV
But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 2:4 ESV
And they were all
filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
speak in other tongues as the Spirit
gave them utterance.
Acts 19:6 ESV
And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the
Holy Spirit came on them, and they began
speaking in tongues and
prophesying.
^ Those people were already "saved" because they were believers (verse 1-2: There he found some
disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit
when you believed?”); however Paul made sure that he went to meet them and lay hands on them and pray for them to be filled with the Holy Spirit, so they would receive the
baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:44-46 ESV
While Peter was still saying these things, the
Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because
the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them
speaking in tongues and extolling God.
^ This is a case where some Gentiles got saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit at the same time, while Peter was preaching. In the following verses you can see that they then got baptized in water:
Then Peter declared,
“Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have
received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
>> Therefore one can be baptized in the Holy Spirit before being baptized in water (that's been my personal experience).
This also shows us that the baptism of the Holy Spirit wasn't exclusive to the apostles, but that it's the Lord's will for all believers to receive it.
This is supported by the fact that Paul addressed the Corinthians on the topic:
1 Corinthians 14:2 ESV
For one who speaks in a tongue
speaks not to men but to God; for
no one understands him, but he
utters mysteries in the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:14-15 ESV
For if I pray in a tongue,
my spirit prays but
my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do?
I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind
also;
I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind
also.
"In the Spirit" is clearly different from "with the mind", otherwise Paul wouldn't be making that distinction. There are prayers that you pray only with your own finite, mental understanding, and prayers that are uttered by the Spirit, in an unknown language, and the person praying does not have the understanding unless the Spirit reveals it to them (which can happen). It is possible to even
sing in the spirit (that is, sing in tongues).
A couple more, that I know you would probably interpret differently, but still:
Romans 8:26 ESV
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For
we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but
the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
Ephesians 6:18 ESV
Praying at all times
in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Once again, there is a distinction between simple praying and praying in the Spirit. Both are valuable, but praying in the Spirit is more effective because the Spirit of God knows infinitely more things than we do. Therefore prayers in the Spirit go beyond our mental knowledge and affect people and events that are unknown to us (I have personally met people who can confirm this).
Disclaimer: Of course every other thing that the Lord mentioned in the "Great Commission" is also important, that goes without saying. I do not put a particular emphasis on speaking in tongues; rather, I put an emphasis on the baptism of the Holy Spirit in general. Of course every other spiritual gift is as important as tongues. They all have value and are needed in the Body of Christ. It just seems that the speaking in tongues part is the most controversial one (perhaps along with the casting out of demons).
It is not my intention to create more tension or come across as argumentative; rather, my hope is that through these verses you will start to see that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is scriptural, that it is different from salvation, and that it is very much something the Lord wants us to have, because it edifies us, empowers us, and allows us to pray for things that we couldn't otherwise pray for with our own understanding.
In Christ's peace,
TSWSA
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