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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

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I have just a few words today about mercy and judgment

By Lary R. HaleDecember 2, 2014

A wise elder listens equally to two neighbors beneath an arcade, with balanced scales suggesting impartial mercy and justice. — © By One Spirit Ministries

I have just a few words today about mercy and judgment. People today, including God's people, have gotten these two elements turned around backward in a whole lot of things. The spirit and mind of this world has influenced so many to show mercy to the unrepentant wicked, and decree judgment against anyone who condemns evil. To show what I'm talking about I'm going to use a Bible event that demonstrates how this takes place. Benhadad king of Syria had exalted himself against Israel and against God, and God determined to give the wicked king Ahab of Israel the victory over him in battle (I Kin. 20:1-14). In two battles over a period of a year, God gave Israel the victory over the Syrian army, but Benhadad managed to survive. When he sent word to Ahab to let him live, he was accepted by Ahab who received him into his own chariot, and made a covenant with him, and then let him go free (I Kin. 20:15-34). When God saw that Ahab dealt this way with Benhadad he sent a prophet to him who told him, "Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people" (I Kin. 20:42). Mercy was not what God appointed for Benhadad in this circumstance, but the wicked Ahab who did not know God, decided that mercy was the right thing to show him. He was wrong, and being wrong about mercy and judgment in the matter cost him greatly. It was time for the judgment of this man's arrogance and contempt for God and his people, and Ahab foolishly showed him mercy instead. People today have this idea of showing mercy and sympathy to the wicked who refuse to repent of their wickedness, when in fact God has NEVER forgiven anyone of anything that they did not repent of. Too many are void of understanding about the nature of God's love, and that his love is holy and requires us to be holy as well (I Pet. 1:16). Jesus came to this world and suffered, died, and rose again to make a way for us to be actual partakers of his holiness; so all are without excuse for disbelieving him and doing otherwise. A very large part of holiness is knowing when it is time for mercy and when it is time for having contempt for the pride of the wicked.

When God made his name known to Moses, he identified himself with the following: "The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering , and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty" (Exd. 34:6,7). Too many folks have failed to believe the last part of that passage, while clinging far too tightly to the first part. The result is showing mercy to the contemptible and condemning those who stand against the wickedness of the same contemptible. More than ever before we are living in a time that the prophet Isaiah described to the letter: "Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment" (Isa. 59:15). Another prophet gave us the reason for this perverse spiritual malady that plagues all of mankind: "Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land" (Hos. 4:1). That's right, wherever judgment is failing you can be assured there is no true mercy in effect either, because there is no truth or knowledge of God in the land. It's as simple as that. I'll give you an up to date glaring example of this malicious turning of mercy and judgment backward. Recently in Ferguson, Missouri there was a white policeman who approached a young black man for walking in the middle of the road in a confrontational manner. The officer didn't even know that the man had just committed two crimes a couple of minutes previously, which are on a store video and have been seen by countless millions. The same criminal who was also young and very large and powerful, attacked the officer in his car and tried to take his gun away from him, and as a result was killed by the policeman. The policeman was found not guilty of any crime and so a large part of the racist black community rioted and destroyed many businesses and property owned by white people, "because justice was not done" in the matter. So the president of the United States who is black, along with his black attorney general and a popular black so called minister, have sympathized with the criminal and his family who helped incite the riot; and the latter two have continued to condemn the policeman and justify the arrogant criminal.

Well, nobody should be glad that the young man was killed, and if they are then there is something good missing in them. Nonetheless the wicked in the situation have done very wickedly, and have faced no judgment from "the powers that be" for their wickedness, but rather have been encouraged in an evil matter. Some of these same racist blacks also killed a Bosnian man yesterday in front of his family, simply for 'being white.' The man wasn't even from this country and has nothing to do with any supposed black-white issues. Meanwhile the police officer who was doing his job, and killed a man in self defense who was an eminent threat to his life, has to give up his career and relocate for fear of his and his family's life. Neither has there been any word of justification given to him from higher authorities for having his life on the line in a very stressful and dangerous profession, and for having been put in this position by a wicked, arrogant young fool. If you're still reading then let me say that as a son or daughter of God there is no black-white issue involved here. It is simply a matter of calling things what they are. It doesn't matter who is black or who is white, except for the evident fact that the 'racist' element of the situation has been turned completely around backward. The wicked in this particular matter are those who are "calling good evil, and evil good," regardless of what color they are. (Isa. 5:20). God is no respecter of persons, neither is he impressed by or intimidated by anyone's position or office. The racists in this issue are those who are using 'race' in an abominable effort to turn plain justice into racism, and racism into justice. A righteous person lives above the 'race' factor and other such things, and shows mercy to the repentant and the pitiful, and abhors the pride of those who stand proudly in an evil matter. There is no earthly element, whether 'race' or otherwise, that should ever factor into the determining of justice and judgment. The Bible clearly calls this 'partiality,' and says that partiality results in people being "judges of evil thoughts" (Jas. 2:4). So that is what we have seen in living color (no pun intended) in this matter in Missouri. "The thoughts of many hearts [have been] revealed," and many have been exposed to be "judges of evil thoughts." We have seen and will see many more such things in many arenas, and many issues will be twisted even as the 'race' issue has been perverted here. There is only one question that remains really, and I will ask it boldly: "Who is on the LORD'S side?" (Exd. 32:26) The answer is evident, and it is those who are like Jesus, to whom his Father said; "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows" (Heb. 1:9). I don't know about you, but I'm on the Lord's side, and his side only. Amen.

P.S. If anyone would be foolish enough to suggest some kind of 'racism' on my part, the comment will simply be deleted without response. I do not entertain mindless bantering.

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In loving memory

Lary R. Hale

November 13, 1954April 21, 2024

Lary smiling with his beloved dog Champ — Lary with Champ

Obituary

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

Remember him