The subject of the "baptism of the Holy Spirit", is very important and rather controversial. Following is a summary of my understanding of the subject.
A number of related articles may be found in the file cabinet under "the Gift of the Holy Spirit".
Summary of Bible teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
1. This subject is important. Jesus said
And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." . . . . “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:4,5,8
We need God’s power, through the Holy Spirit, to be Jesus’ witnesses.
2. Every Christian has some measure of the Holy Spirit.
3. A person may ‘have’ the Holy Spirit, and still ‘receive’ the Holy Spirit.
4. Various terms refer to the same phenomenon. Some of them are: baptism of the Holy Spirit, filled with the Spirit, receiving the Holy Spirit, and the promise of the Father.
5. Some people are baptized/filled with the Holy Spirit at the time of their conversion, others are not.
6. There may or may not be various dramatic phenomena upon being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Some prophesy (this is most commonly mentioned), others may speak with tongues, others may simply know something happened to them.
7. The assumption in the Book of Acts is that a person is aware of whether or not they have been filled with the Holy Spirit.
8. A person may be less than full of the Holy Spirit, and then be filled. A person may be filled, and then be filled again at a later time.
9. We may be controlled by wine, but we are ‘led’ and empowered by the Holy Spirit. He does not "control" us in the sense of making us do things.