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

Gifts and Callings

An abundant orchard and fresh fruit rest in warm light above a living valley.
© By One Spirit Ministries

This post is not about what you think it’s about from reading the title, and in fact it’s about something far more edifying and important. Did you think for instance that the title implied something about having spiritual gifts and being called to preach or to exercise those spiritual gifts? If you did, it’s understandable, but let’s look at something more important here. In speaking of the reality that God will eventually turn again to Israel, to restore his people of old, the apostle Paul said something very integral to the faith of every believer: “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29). This is one of the most emphatic statements in regard to the very essence of God, that is in the Bible, and also a vastly overlooked statement. To understand this beautiful declaration of truth, we must realize first that the ‘repentance’ mentioned in the verse is referring to God, and not to man. What it means is that when God calls someone to come to him and serve him, or when he gives something; he does not change his mind! To repent means to turn away from something, and God is not double minded that he would turn away from what he has purposed. Want to know why the earth is still going round, with all of the vast corruption and moral decay that is present therein? Because "the gifts and calling of God is without repentance.” God made the earth and all that is in it, and gave it to man to have dominion over, and to have thankful blissful fellowship with him while doing so. Man has messed everything up, and still God has not turned from his good intent toward him, and therefore the opportunity is still available. God gave man the capacity of free will, and the ability to choose, and man has chosen to be opposed to both God and himself, through unbelief and disobedience to the will of God for his own good.

God sent his Son to make a way for fallen man to be reconciled back to himself, and escape the penalty of disobedience, which is to be separated from fellowship and communion with God. Man has rejected that way, and still God “is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing for any to perish, but that all should come to repentance" (II Pet. 3:9). God is so good that he will allow you to have your own way against his will, if that is what you prefer. And that is exactly what the whole world has done, and so man has reaped God’s judgments against his sins and unbelief (Gen. 18:25; Psm. 105:7). So if God is so good, as to give man his own way, why does he still judge him for his sins? Because "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” No one can be saved apart from being a partaker of true holiness, and God judges man for his sins so that he might see the folly of his ways and repent before it is too late to do so, and be saved ultimately (Heb. 12:8-10,14; Mat. 5:8; I Jn. 3:3). But the deepest beauty of our text scripture [Rom. 11:29] is this: Has God ever done anything for you, or given you anything? Well that’s really a stupid question, but I’ve asked it for a reason. The truth is he has done EVERYTHING FOR ALL OF US, and he has GIVEN EVERYTHING TO ALL OF US. And if he has called you and put faith in your heart toward him, well that’s just some seriously sweet icing on an already delicious cake, now isn’t it? Seeing that the answer to both of these questions is unequivocally YES, then everything is settled. He is obviously FOR YOU, so, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:31,32) If God has called you and given you a drawing to seek him, he has not and will not change his mind about it. Period!

God has never changed his mind about the people that he has made upon the earth, he has never changed his mind about Israel, and he has never changed his mind about you or I. He wants and intends nothing but good for all of the above (Mal. 3:6; Jas. 1:17; Heb. 13:8). God is love, and he never stops being love (I Jn. 4:8). We on the other hand have the ability to choose to continue to respond to his call and goodness, or to turn away from it in unbelief. Only we can deprive ourselves of the untold joy of being in fellowship with the Creator, and being a partaker of the exceeding great benefits of doing his will in our lives, and making him the love of our life (Psm. 103:3-6; Psm. 37:4). He is also gracious enough to let us take that path if it is what we would rather do. He is also gracious enough to judge us for our unbelief so that we might realize both the desolation of being without his fellowship, and the obvious betterment of being with it (I Cor. 11:31,32). So in the end it comes down to this: We can absolutely trust God completely, that he is all power, and that he has nothing but love and good in mind for us. If we do this and obey his will, then “as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (I Cor. 2:9). So what is the result of our depriving God of the love and bliss that he longs to share with us, and depriving ourselves of the glory of personally experiencing that love and glory daily? “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” (Rev. 21:8). It’s God’s world and God’s plan my friend, and all of his plans for us are nothing but good. To reject that kind of enduring love and longsuffering, and to refuse to submit to that grace for our own good, is well worthy of the reward earned. And so it is for the reward of the faithful who have reciprocated that love and continued to do so, regardless of the price (II Cor. 3:12; Rev. 12:11). Amen.

From the Preserved Writings of Lary R. Hale

By One Spirit · Media library

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Jesus Is All

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Selected Broadcast 50: Jesus Is All

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