By One Spirit — Holy Ghost Ministry

Lary and his beloved dog Champ welcomed by Jesus into a radiant garden of flowers, waterfalls, and golden light
Remembering the ministry and teachings of Lary R. Hale

Faith carried forward

By One Spirit is a lasting home for Holy Ghost ministry, preserving the teachings of Lary R. Hale and the memories of the people whose lives he touched.

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From the ministry archive

Honesty goes a long way with God

A young man openly admits responsibility for a broken blue vase as an older woman reaches toward him with a forgiving expression.
© By One Spirit Ministries

Honesty goes a long way with God. Always has. Always will. In fact he requires it and in full fashion, with any who would hope to attain unto eternal life. For instance, if you have fallen short on something, the ONLY way to get it right is to call it what it is and ask God's forgiveness, and mean it. That is the meaning of this passage of scripture: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (I Jn. 1:9,10). The traditions of modern Christianity have taught those who receive them to do just that, meaning call God a liar. These modern "sinners saved by grace," or "eternal security" teachings just hand everlasting life over on a silver platter with absolutely nothing required except a "confession" that Jesus is the Lord. From then on you are conveniently forgiven and excused for any and every sin that you most assuredly WILL commit. And you most assuredly WILL commit those sins because these teachings offer no true DELIVERANCE FROM SIN, but rather an empty religious form that does nothing more than tickle the ears of those who believe it. The apostle Paul spoke of these things and said they would be here for those who do not want the purifying truth of God: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (II Tim. 4:3,4). And so it has come to pass just as he said. The modern Christian religion has turned into nothing more than some kind of fairy tale that never has anything but a nice ending, even for those who continue in sin. But I have some bad news for those with itching ears, and that news is not anything new; nor did I dream it up: "But the FEARFUL, and UNBELIEVING, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and ALL LIARS, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" ... "For the wages of sin is death" (Rev. 21:8; Rom. 6:23). You may note that I highlighted certain sins in the previous passage, and that is because a WHOLE lot of folks are guilty of those, while they may not commit some of those "bigger" sins listed there. The truth is, almost all "lying" is done because of "fearfulness," and that is caused by a lack of faith; otherwise called "unbelieving." People are not totally honest with one another in many everyday dealings because they are afraid of what someone thinks, or they are afraid of what it will cost them if they ARE completely honest. And there are the three "sins" that I highlighted from Revelation 21:8, which by the way are all "abominable" in the sight of God. That makes four of those sins that are being committed by almost everyone on a daily basis, including most "Christians." Listen to how God addressed this very issue through the prophet Isaiah: "And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid it to thy heart?" (Isa. 57:11). And that sentiment is what compelled these words from the Lord, also by Isaiah: "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? (Isa. 2:22).

What happens is that someone in fear of being completely honest, justifies to themselves changing things just a wee bit in order not to cause themselves or someone else any undue "trouble." But the problem is that God is not deceived or mocked, and sees all things exactly like they are; and rewards all who practice such deceit accordingly (Gal. 6:7,8). I have to tell you that I have found by long experience, that defying that spirit of fear that tries to press you to do that, and just being totally straight in your communication, accomplishes one of two things: You will either turn someone closer to God and gain a true respect for righteousness sake, or they will not want to be around you any more. A perfect example is when the prophet Nathan rebuked the king David for his sins with Bathsheba and Uriah. It provoked a sincere repentance from David which delivered him from the snare that he had gotten himself into (II Sam. 12:7-13). Jesus said it like this: "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also" (Jn. 15:20). And you don't even have to be dealing with something pertaining to the gospel in this kind of situation. It can be an everyday type of matter, but when absolute honest, direct, and straight communication is exercised in a difficult situation, people know what you are really fast; and there will be a reaction, whether for good or for bad. Another thing is that there is absolutely NO spiritual power exercised by even the very slightest degree of deceit, but total honesty with godly sincerity will prevail over ANYTHING! Reason being God is always with the right and never with the wrong. It's just that simple. In fact those who find themselves falling into that web of deceitful dealings will also find that they are failing to overcome other faults in their lives. Any degree of fear or lying simply drains the soul of any power with God whatsoever. Not to mention that the scriptures inform us that "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear... He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (I Jn. 4:18). And where will we end up if we are NOT perfected in the love of God: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing" (I Cor. 13:1-3). And Jesus confirmed to us in no uncertain terms that he would deny all such on the day of judgmen who were NOT perfected in his Father's love (Mat. 7:21-23). And that brings us right back to Revelation 21:8. No my friend, this is not a fairy tale gospel where all ends well even for those who do not continue to DO well (Mat. 24:12,13; Heb. 4:1,11). This is a gospel of unfathomable grace, mercy, and power for holiness; for all who honestly, humbly, and continually seek after exactly that (Acts 1:8; II Cor. 7:1; Heb. 4:15,16). And it is also a gospel of godly terror, knowing that all men will be judged according to their works, as the scriptures continually bear witness to (Jer. 17:9,10; Eccl. 12:13,14; Rom. 14:10-12; II Cor. 5:10,11; Rev. 20:12; etc.). And as I said in the post yesterday, it's no wonder that the scripture admonishes us that we should "work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling" (Philip. 2:12). Amen.

From the Preserved Writings of Lary R. Hale

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Jesus Is All

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In loving memory

Lary R. Hale

Lary smiling with his beloved dog Champ
Lary with Champ

A Hero Finally Rests.

Lary Redman Hale of Louisville, KY entered into his greatest joy, the presence of King Jesus himself, welcomed by the cheers of angels and the saints of God on Sunday night, April 21, 2024.

What the outside world would see as the untimely passing of a humble, local minister, heaven saw as the triumphant finale of a valiant warrior's life. He fought the good fight, having kept the faith, and received what Christ himself called "The Champion's Wreath of Victory".

Lary was born November 13, 1954 to Marvin and Norma Hale. Being the youngest of his siblings ensured he had lots of time with his loving mother, from whom he undoubtedly developed his profound sensitivity, heartfelt sentimentality and emotional comfortability - characteristics that were trademarks of his life. He grew up surrounded by cousins and classmates that became his best friends.

At his 50 year class reunion he was overjoyed and excited to catch up with so many of them, smiling and laughing more than he had in a long time. He would often tell stories of how he treasured those times as a young boy riding bikes, shooting B.B guns and playing with his childhood dog Peanuts; all while getting into assorted harmless mischief. He cherished the time he spent living on his parents houseboat and helping his dad, a united states marine veteran, take care of the boat and dock.

His relationship with his dad was only strengthened in their later years as they watched boxing matches almost every weekend for the remainder of his dad's life. He admired his brother Gary for his athleticism and industrious attitude, and thought his sisters Vicki and Mila had hearts of gold just like his mother. In his teen years Lary developed three of his lifelong loves: swimming, cool cars and lifting weights.

Some people said Lary was part fish because of how well he swam, but Lary would correct them, he was actually part dolphin. As a young man he managed a health club where he helped multiple people lose weight and counted that a huge joy. He loved nature and taking photos of it, honing his skills and knowledge in cameras. His vocabulary was second to none and he enjoyed learning new words and using them especially in his writings.

Before he passed he still exercised as much as his body would allow and he longed to return to the ocean and the white sands of Destin, Florida.

Like most disenfranchised teens in the early 70s, Lary indulged in countless vices that left him empty and searching for more. Although his long black curly hair, loud clothes, muscles and muscle cars made him the envy of the boys and the heartthrob of the girls, none of these things satisfied his heart. He pursued a college education briefly, desiring to be a marine biologist or philosopher but found that this was not what he was missing either - he longed for true fulfillment.

Depressed, empty, and feeling hopeless, Lary heard about a particular beautiful girl he had a crush on that was attending a small church where the "Spirit of God" was changing people's lives. After wondering why someone like her would attend a church like that, he began to attend also.

After a few months, he made a simple prayer on his hands and knees, saying "God I can't stop smoking, drinking, raging or any of the other countless vices I have - but if you can set me free from these things, I'll know you're real and that you want me to serve you". The next morning Lary woke up and described the next few hours as "walking on air" realizing he was, in his words "delivered" and never going back to those vices.

This began his life long commitment to glorifying Jesus, the king of glory, for how he transformed Lary's life from darkness to light. Lary would marry that same beautiful girl, the love of his life, Fay Kustes, and they would have two sons together, Benjamin Isaac and Elisha Daniel. Lary's greatest joy in life was being a husband and father.

He was happiest when he was sharing what he was learning in the bible with his family, and teaching them that knowing God was simplistic and yet powerful - that God was not merely a religious concept, but a powerful savior on a day to day basis. As Lary made it his life's goal to find "the lost sheep", he would tap into his multifaceted creativity that went largely underappreciated.

Lary produced well over a thousand episodes of gospel presentations: self-producing, mixing, editing and encoding both a radio and television show. Between the two, he broadcast for over 30 years. All of this in the analog age, where self produced radio and TV shows were nearly unheard of, especially without any budget whatsoever.

Lary was an evangelist in Louisville and southern Indiana, being asked to preach and teach in multicultural and multi-generational churches across the city. The churches he was most loved and welcomed by were the African-American Baptist and Pentecostal churches that loved and welcomed his passionate, excitable and action packed style of preaching.

Once the dawn of the internet came, he immediately worked to have a website published, making his literature and gospel teachings available. Eventually he'd use social media to teach, preach and encourage believers all across the world. He would spend every night praying with and encouraging christians from every nation until the end of his life. Many of which saw him like a second father and all of whom greatly mourn his passing.

Even though he produced over a thousand episodes of media, taught in multiple churches, mentored in multiple countries, and had multiple printed works of literature, he considered his greatest life's work to be his two sons. One of their earliest memories is Lary saying "the most important job in the world is not preaching the gospel, it's raising kids in the gospel". This threaded through his entire life.

In his final week on earth, he reminisced on his life saying "I see my life as the highest success, because my life's work are my two sons, who I am so incredibly proud of - not for their natural achievements but for their love, humility and personal faith in Jesus that is not only evident in their lives but also in their love. Because of them, I know my life is a true success - and I credit Jesus for all of it".

His sons today see him as the most successful man they will ever know. He succeeded in loving them and never hurting them. Leading them and never controlling them. Being there for them and never leaving them. He was a man that would apologize quickly, forgive quickly, and always encouraged his sons to "get up and go from here". He succeeded in teaching them faith, hope and love in a world starving so badly for all three. His ministry lives on in them.

The lives of everyone touched by their lives are forever indebted to this humble, prayerful man of faith.

He is preceded in death by his father Marvin, mother Norma, sister Mila, sister-in-law Marlene, nephew Adam, aunts, uncles, treasured cousins, and his beloved dog of 18 years, Champ.

Until they are reunited in the glory of heaven, he is survived and will be missed by his sons, Benjamin and Elisha (Katrine), his wife of 30 years, Fay, his brother Gary, His sister Vicki (Dan), his cousins, nieces, nephews, his friends, and those that called him their pastor and teacher.

"The righteous perish, and no man lays it to heart: merciful men are taken away and no one considers that the righteous person is being spared from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace: he shall rest in his bed, having walked in uprightness." Isaiah 57:1&2

A life in pictures and film

Watch the tribute video shared with Lary’s obituary. It brings together moments from his life and footage of the man so many loved.

Video hosted by Tribute Slides through Newcomer Kentuckiana.

Original obituary at Newcomer Kentuckiana

Memories of Lary