Protestant Minister said:
What is required for salvation is the baptism of the Holy Ghost which only comes in response to prayer and is unrelated to church attendance.
Baptism of the Spirit is
not a requirement for salvation. Belief in and acceptance of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, and that being the only way to receive forgiveness of our sin is the
only requirement for salvation. (The thief on the cross was neither water baptized, nor was the Holy Spirit even sent to earth at that point.)
Many people who claim to read the bible like to quote John 3:16 but for some totally off the wall reason,they skip over John 3:3-9 which is where Jesus states two requirements for salvation.
I'm afraid it is
you who have misinterpreted this verse. It is not speaking of the two different baptisms (as it appears you believe) but of the two births: one of the flesh (born of water) and spiritual birth (born of the Spirit)
(John 3:3-6) Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
In several places in Scripture, speaking in tongues was
an evidence that someone had received the Holy Spirit however, 1 Cor. 12:30-31 clearly shows, not all receive the gift of speaking in tongues.
"Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?" (The implied answer is "no")
If having the lack of the gift of tongues was evidence of
not being Spirit filled, then that passage would imply that the Lord only allows some to be filled with the Spirit. We know by Luke 11:13 that is not the case:
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
I absolutely
dispise that question "are you filled with the spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues?" It is not just faulty theology, that question, and that thinking has done untold damage. It has caused the confusion and condemnation of many a true believer, often making them feel like second-class Christians and it has caused a lot of division in the Body.
Brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be so!