Thread: Less than half of born-again Christians believe Jesus lived sinless life on Earth: study

Originally Posted by Smitty

I asked a guy many years ago in the church I was attending at that time if he was saved. He told me yes, I was baptized as an infant.

Reminds me of this old video.

Originally Posted by Smitty

I asked a guy many years ago in the church I was attending at that time if he was saved. He told me yes, I was baptized as an infant.

I'll try and keep this brief. Back in the day a friend while in church asked me to come pray for her son-in-law for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. His dad was a pastor, and the guy i was praying for was in his early 20s. I was sitting in a pew in front of him turned around praying for him. So I did what I normally do, explained some things to him, then had him repeat a prayer after me asking Jesus to baptize him in the Holy Spirit, then I laid hands on him to receive and...nothing. Dead as a door nail.

So I'm sitting there pondering, and the Holy Spirit says to me 'He's not saved.' I just assumed he was since he was a pastor's son (because of this incident I never assume anyone is saved any more when praying for them to be filled). So I asked him when he was saved, and he said, "I was baptized when I was 5." Just like your situation. So I led him in a prayer of salvation, then had him pray after me to be filled, and this time when I told him to receive and laid hands on him, tongues show out of him like a cannon. It startled all of us there.

So, every since this happened, I always include a prayer of salvation at the beginning of the prayer for being filled with the Holy Spirit in case they're not saved. I've found many people will be drawn by the prospect of being baptized in the Holy Spirit, but they're not saved. If they're sincere about being baptized in the Holy Spirit then they will be saved when I lead them in the prayer of salvation.

I took this a step further earlier this year when I preached 3 services in a hispanic church in TX, and when I went to Africa. I preached on the baptism in the Holy Spirit and tongues every service in TX and Africa. Every altar call for those that came up to be filled I actually let them in a totally separate prayer for salvation before I prayed for them to receive. I've always done this as I said, but this time I made it totally distinct. I am finding that teaching about the baptism in the Holy Spirit is a great way to get people saved, since they have to be saved to be filled.

And one other thing, even if they are saved, most Christians have some kind of sin in their lives, so having them pray a prayer of forgiveness and salvation help them get a clear conscience that could be a hindrance to being filled.