Spirit Regeneration Exposed

I was studying the ministry of John the Baptist recently and had a thought about regeneration.

John turned the hearts of people before being baptized with the Holy Spirit.

John said Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit as if it was future, yet John would change the hearts of mankind.

Mal 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction."

Man's heart can be changed with preaching without the Holy Spirit falling upon the hearers according to this example.. The Holy Spirit had not been universally poured out in John's day.

Joh 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

Joh 7:39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Thus hearts can be changed without Holy Spirit regeneration.