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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Today I feel to address what may be the biggest issue facing God's people in this time

Peter and John lay hands on two worshippers in a Samaritan courtyard, surrounded by praying neighbors and soft light.
© By One Spirit Ministries

Today I feel to address what may be the biggest issue facing God's people in this time. What really does constitute the new birth experience, and who really is in the body of Christ and the kingdom of God? To answer this most accurately we should look at how it happens in action. First however I would like to point out just two scriptures that seal the deal on the new birth and remission of sins, which is one and the same. "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, by the Spirit of our God" (I Cor. 6:11). And the other: "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9). So it is without refute according to the scriptures that receiving God's Spirit is the new birth and remission of sins. Now let's look at a Bible example of HOW people were born again. "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them" (Acts 8:5). So Philip the evangelist went to the Samaritans and preached Christ to them, and according to the next eight verses the Samaritans believed Philip's preaching and experienced miraculous things as a result (Acts 8:6-13). The scripture says that they were delivered from demons, healed of incurable diseases and lameness, delivered from sorcery, and that they had "great joy" because of these things. Well, I can surely see why they had great joy. They had good reason to have joy. And remember, the Samaritans experienced all of these things through their faith in Jesus by means of Philip's preaching. And that makes what comes next very, very interesting and vital to the faith of any believer today. The next three verses in this account plainly say that the apostles Peter and John were called for from Jerusalem, to come and pray for these people to RECEIVE the holy Ghost, because they had NOT YET received the Spirit (Acts 8:14-16). Now here are two huge points that are made by this fact: First of all, after having all of these miraculous experiences along with the great joy that followed, how could anyone say that the Samaritan's had NOT received the holy Ghost? Remember that note, but also it is clearly evident that these people were not yet born again, even though they HAD experienced all of these things by faith in Jesus. We have seen by our two text scriptures that receiving the Spirit is the new birth and remission of sins, and also that the Samaritans had NOT YET received the holy Ghost. Almost every minister or any other believer today would have declared these people born again, and by the traditional "new birth" doctrines today, they would have been. But not so in the Bible, or in the reality of what God calls the new birth. But when Peter and John came, this is what ensued: "Then laid they their hands on them, and they RECEIVED the Holy Ghost" (Acts 8:17).

Okay, remember what I mentioned about how could anyone say that the Samaritan's did not already have the Spirit? Well, let's go back to that now and look at it this way: Who could say that after the apostles prayed for these people, that they now DID have the holy Ghost? The way that they could say that they received the Spirit after Peter and John laid hands on them, was the same exact way that it was known that they DID NOT have the Spirit before that. God provided a supernatural sign to accompany the new birth, and everyone among the early believers knew that, and they also knew what that sign was and is. But when the apostles prayed for them and they received the Spirit, the local sorcerer, whom the scripture had already shown to be intrigued with the miracles wrought by Philip; offered money for the gift of laying HIS hands on people, and seeing the same result that he saw on the SAmaritans. Now understand that this sorcerer had already seen demons visibly cast out of people who were possessed, and he had already seen miraculous diving healing of incurable diseases, and he had seen the lame be made to walk by the power of God. He even saw the people delivered from the power of his sorcery. And at no time did he offer Philip money for those particular manifestations of the Spirit. So what he saw happen to the Samaritans upon being prayed for by Peter and John, was surely beyond and separate from those operations of the Spirit. What he saw and heard was the people being moved by the power of God, and speak with tongues that were foreign to them. That is what happened to everyone who first received the Spirit at Pentecost, and that sign was present with everyone who received the Spirit thereafter. And that is exactly why Luke did not feel it necessary to stipulate that the Samaritans spoke in tongues when the apostles prayed for them. He knew that everyone would readily know that by him saying that they received the holy Ghost. These people did NOT "get saved" before they were baptized with the Spirit, and they did not "confess Jesus," or "accept him as their personal savior." Those things were not there, and neither are they in the Bible. Man has added these false "new births" and in the process has perverted the the true new birth to the untold harm of many. The Samaritan's faith and experiences before receiving the Spirit were real, but that faith had to come to the place for them to be baptized with the holy Ghost before they could be born again and have their sins taken away. Now God is not "the author of confusion" my friend, and according to the Bible he never changes (I Cor. 14:33; Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8; Jas. 1:17). Neither has his established new birth experience changed, only man has changed it to suit his own purposes. Nevertheless the truth remains that nobody is born again until they are baptized with the Spirit with the accompanying sign of speaking in tongues. And that in effect would begin to change everything in the body of Christ today for the better, if this truth can be embraced by God's people. 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