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

When Salvation Is Received

An older hiker helps a woman take the last step across a stone mountain bridge, with dark clouds behind and a sunlit valley ahead.
© By One Spirit Ministries

Today I would like to just focus on a really integral passage of scripture that really brings home the truth about when a believer receives salvation. I had a discussion recently with someone who was told me that "the Bible says salvation is at the BEGINNING of your faith." When given a Bible and asked to read the passage I'm going to reference here, he said, "That doesn't change my mind one bit." Well, I was convinced of that alright, but when asked to find the scripture that backed up HIS claim, that was missing in action. But anyway, seeing that his viewpoint is the traditional Christian mindset on the matter, let's just look at what this passage of scripture does clearly show us: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (I Pet. 1:3-9). Now that is some potent truth there my friend, and a whole lot of it, so let's look at it a little closer. First off we see that the "hope" of believers is a "lively," or LIVING thing. In other words, the hope of the gospel is not a "take it by faith" thing, but rather something that is full of tangible, divine LIFE and POWER that transforms someone from a sinner into a truly sanctified and holy believer in the Lord Jesus. And the apostle Paul certainly agreed with this: "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [made alive] us TOGETHER with Christ [who surely is alive and holy, and FEELS it]" (Eph. 2:5). Next we see that this hope of the gospel IS the eternal inheritance and immortality that is reserved for us in the heavenly realm. And in saying this, Peter lets us know exactly WHO this glorious inheritance IS reserved for, saying, "reserved in heaven for you, WHO are KEPT by the POWER of God..." So then those who are "kept by the power of God" are kept from what? Sin of course. Again, Paul agreed with this: "But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and KEEP you from EVIL" (II Thess. 3:3). And once more for good measure: "Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: KEEP thyself PURE" (I Tim. 5:22). And to be sure HOW we are kept by the power of God, we should note that the power of God is only imparted by the baptism of the holy Ghost, which experience puts us literally "into Christ," whereby we literally "put on Chirst," WHO IS that Spirit" (Acts 1:8; I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; II Cor. 3:17). So without this blessed experience we are not even in the running, as the scripture also attests to: "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9). And if you are of the number who thinks that someone "receives" the Spirit before they are baptized with the Spirit, you are fighting a lost battle. That isn't in the Bible. Anywhere.

Next we see the salvation issue begin to be addressed: "Who are kept by the power of God UNTO SALVATION ready to be revealed in the LAST TIME." So it is clearly evident that Peter was saying that a born again believer had to remain KEPT from sin by the power of God in order to attain "unto salvation," which salvation has not yet been attained to. And Paul agreed with these things as well, telling the born again believers in Rome whom he wrote a letter to, "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for NOW is our salvation NEARER than when we [first] BELIEVED" (Rom. 13:11). And again he clarified his revelation knowledge on the matter: "Therefore I endure all things for the ELECT'S sakes, that THEY MAY also OBTAIN the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (II Tim. 2:10). Note that he correlated salvation with "eternal glory." That is the key to understanding this truth about when a believer receives salvation. Remember above that Peter said the true believer is being "kept by the power of God UNTO SALVATION ready to be revealed in the last time." So what is it that we are being kept FOR that is going to be revealed in the last time? It's what he mentioned just before the previous statement: "an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." In other words, salvation IS the immortality that is obtained by the faithful who die in holiness without sin, and are raised from the dead to meet Jesus at his second coming. And to these things Jesus certainly agreed: "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall ENDURE UNTO THE END, the same SHALL BE SAVED" (Mat. 24:12,13). The flip side of this saying is obviously that those who do NOT "endure unto the end" of their lives in the holiness of God's love, will NOT BE SAVED! They will not "obtain the SALVATION that is IN Christ Jesus with ETERNAL GLORY," as is referenced above. And our next item bears perfect witness to these words of Jesus from Matthew 24, as Peter explains that our faith must be tried as by fire, to the intent that we "might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." Understanding that we can endure our trials faithfully and be made pure by them, or that we can fail them and fall off into sin; it is evident that our salvation depends on which way we DO deal with the tribulation and trials of our faith. And Peter confirms this powerfully by finishing this passage with the instruction that IF "we are found unto praise and honour and glory AT THE APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST [which is surely "the last time"]," THEN AT THAT TIME we will "receive the END OF OUR FATIH, even the SALVATION of [our] souls." So the summation is that first of all we must be baptized with the holy Ghost, which experience alone imparts the power of God, and which experience alone is the new birth; after which we must through that same divine life and power "purify [ourselves] even as he [Christ] is pure," and finish our course that way (Acts 1:8; I Cor. 12:13; II Cor. 5:17; I Jn. 3:2,3; Mat. 5:8; Mat. 24:13; Heb. 12:14; Heb. 4:1,11). Only by these irrefutable scriptural and spiritual terms can the true elect of God attain unto the resurrection of the dead, which resurrection IS the "one hope" of the gospel, which hope IS the salvation of our souls (Philip. 3:10-12; Eph. 4:4; Acts 24:15; I Thess. 5:8). 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