What was your salvation experience?
I was 9 and I remember going to a high school where there was a speaker there teaching about salvation and hell so I believed what he was teaching went down and received the Holy Spirit.
I was 47, driving to work- and accidentally tuned my radio to a Christian channel- A preacher was giving a sermon - it spoke directly to me - I was so drawn to the message- I got to work and continue to sit in my car and listen to the rest of the sermon- It hit me hard- that was the beginning of me becoming a Christian and giving my life to Christ-
Cliff Beverly Did you ever pray the salvation prayer to Jesus asking Him to forgive you of your sins and asked Him into you life as your Lord and Saviour. Then get baptized in Jesus name and the Holy Spirit. So you are a child of God like the Bible says. Romans 10:9-10. 13.
Regenerated by the Holy Spirit?In June 1999, one summer afternoon I was at my sister’s old apartment where she used to live at.She put on Christian music after that a preacher came on and received the message about Jesus Christ.To this day I still remember getting down on my knees and crying out to God confessing every sin to Him I can think of.And believe that Jesus died upon the Cross for our sins taking the just punishment we deserved upon Himself. His burial in the tomb and resurrection on the third day.When I confessed that it felt like a rock weighting like two tons was lifted off my shoulders and a strong sense of peace came over me I have to this day.
When do Christians receive the Holy Spirit? The Bible is clear:when we BELIEVE, WE ARE BORN AGAIN! 1 Corinthians 12:13. Salvation has ALWAYS been by grace through F A I T H Ephesians 2:8-9.Abraham believed GOD and it was counted to him as righteousness!Genesis 15:6. Physical water is NOT for the putting away of the flesh! Water baptism is an OUTER SYMBOL of an inner spiritual baptism, which saves us! 1 Peter 3:21: Water baptism is NOT the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ! The apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. First Corinthians 12:13 declares, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” Romans 8:9 tells us that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, he or she does not belong to Christ: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe: “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”These three passages make it clear that the Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation. Paul could not say that we all were baptized by one Spirit and all given one Spirit to drink if not all of the Corinthian believers possessed the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 is even stronger, stating that if a person does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to Christ. Therefore, the possession of the Spirit is an identifying factor of the possession of salvation. Further, the Holy Spirit could not be the “seal of salvation” (Ephesians 1:13-14) if He is not received at the moment of salvation. Many scriptures make it abundantly clear that our salvation is secured the moment we receive Christ as Savior.This discussion is controversial because the ministries of the Holy Spirit are often confused. The receiving/indwelling of the Spirit occurs at the moment of salvation. The filling of the Spirit is an ongoing process in the Christian life. While we hold that the baptism of the Spirit also occurs at the moment of salvation, some Christians do not. This sometimes results in the baptism of the Spirit being confused with “receiving the Spirit” as an act subsequent to salvation. In conclusion, how do we receive the Holy Spirit? We receive the Holy Spirit by simply receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior (John 3:5-16). When do we receive the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit becomes our permanent possession the moment we believe.Water baptism follows the spiritual baptism (washing) by the hand of God/the Holy Spirit! It is an external sign/representation of a follower of Jesus Christ.