As we move ahead it's important to know that the conversions I'm speaking about don't have to happen in the order we're looking at. For example, today's conversion, the Holy Spirit, can actually come far later in the life of a saint than even our last conversion. At the same time, others may experience the Holy Spirit in a big way even before they have been converted to the Cross!
When people are converted into the Holy Spirit they at once realize that they can do nothing lasting for the Lord outside the revelation, guidance, and empowerment of the Spirit of God, and they often wonder if they had actually done anything substantial for Jesus up to that point.
Much of the Life happens simply as we move along from day to day. And this is a good thing. But Jesus essentially says to us, "Not only do I want you to simply live life, but I want you to enjoy it, be enthralled by it, have you experience it, and revel in its abundance." This sort of life can only happen though the descent or releasing of the floodwaters of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. This is something we cannot conjure up on our own.
Note: There is a big difference between going through the motions (though they be good motions) and living life completly cognizant of "Christ in you," in all you do, through the Spirit.
Some say the life of the Spirit is for that other denomination. They have their own reasons for not stepping in. But Jesus' take on that is that the infilling of the Holy Spirit is not an option in the life of a disciple. It is not an, "Oh, I'd rather not, thank you very much, maybe another time" kind of thing. Jesus not only promised the Spirit all who love Christ, he also labelled it as an essential piece in the fulfillment of our purposes, our call, and God's will.
Inward whole and holiness. Once I was praying for a woman and she burst into tears. "God just removed the shame I've been carrying all these years." Another person has the ability to forgive her abuser. Someone else comes out of a church service feeling clean, forgiven, washed white as snow. Another, caught up in the glory of that same Spirit, is finally released of an evil spirit - a demon that for years he has worked to get rid of (thought hypnosis, meditation, and spending a lot of money) but now, with one touch of the Spirit, has been set free to live life as God intended.
Without the washing of the water of the Word the pipes can get pretty clogged up.
Outward empowered influence. A person who is converted to the Presence of God through the Holy Spirit can walk into a room anywhere in the world and the atmosphere of that place will completely change. Make no mistake: a person walking in the fullness of the Spirit looks, acts, thinks, and behaves differently than someone who isn't walking in the fullness of the Spirit. They have a certain "peace" about them, a radiance and attractiveness found nowhere else on the planet.
In short, they reflect the glorious One on the Throne.
I've been accosted by many believers who tried to make me one of them (before my conversion to Jesus). Most of them really didn't care about me yet, for whatever the reason, they tried to convert me. It didn't work, or course. I could see right through their agendas. There were others, however, who didn't say much. They'd talked about Jesus in loving and gentle ways that, if unguarded, I would have melted into a puddle at their feet. The power of love, the burning compassion in their eyes, and a sense of divine whimsicalness all spoke much louder than anything they could say.
Simply said: I could tell the difference and I was attracted to it.
Paul writes and essentially says, "Always be filled with the Spirit, on and on, over and over again like ocean tides moving in and out of a tidal lagoon." Some of us loose the wondrous simplicity of that statement by trying and forcing to make that happen. Others quickly embrace the commandment as the thing they finally need to keep the Law and be a perfect little Christian ( - as if the Spirit is given so we can finally keep the OT Law, when we all know the Law brings a certain death!).
While those motives aren't bad in themselves, I suppose, they miss the mark of what conversion to the Spirit really is. More than a "self help" additive to our life, the Spirit is the bridge, revealer, and gifter of the heart of our Father. It is firstly about relationship, not rules or duty. It is in that relationship wherein all the other stuff can happen.
... how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13)
Jesus is all about giving us what the Father has given him. The Father gives him gifts, he gives them to us. The Father gives him discernment on how to respond to his persecutors, he gives that to us. The Father gives him grace to persevere even through the harshest sacrifice, he gives that to us. The Father gives him the gift of the Holy Spirit to glorify his name, he gives that to us.
A person converted to the Holy Spirit has an entirely different worldview. He or she has a "kingdomview," a way of seeing through what is seen (whether it be at the grocery store, a school, or a church service) and gracefully operating on that level. He or she has eyes to see what the Spirit is doing and the power to step into the groove. Even with the best intentions, this kind of a life cannot happen outside a full-fledged baptism in, and conversion to, the living Breath of God.