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

Defenders of Sin

A woman stands in a quiet doorway with a hand over her heart, turning toward peaceful divine light.
© By One Spirit Ministries

It’s really strange how the traditions and doctrines of men that populate modern Christianity have trained those who are under them, including God’s Spirit baptized children, to have a zeal for defending sin. I received a text from a brother in Christ last night telling me that I needed to read Romans 3:10, and that I should read the rest of the chapter as well. So I went to it, and lo and behold, there it was: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” Okay, so here we have an old testament quote in a chapter where the apostle Paul is plainly expounding the truth that there was no true deliverance from sin under the old covenant, but that faith in Jesus DOES INDEED deliver the souls of true believers from sin. And this reading assignment that was sent to me was an instruction to let me know that nobody can really get sin altogether out of their life. Huh. I responded to this text by letting this dear brother know that maybe HE should re-read it himself. If he does, he may run across this passage: “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. BUT NOW the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference” (Rom. 3:20-22). That “But now” part is what I like, because that means that there is something inherently DIFFERENT between the old and new covenants. That particular something was graphically stated by the same apostle elsewhere: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins… For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: HOW MUCH MORE shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb. 10:4; Heb. 9:14). So the “How much more” part is what the “But now” part was about in Romans 3:21.

The blood of Christ, which in fact is his Spirit, does what the old covenant sacrifices [‘works,’ ‘deeds’] could not do, and that is to TRULY DELIVER the heart and soul of man from the very condition of being in sin. Oh yeah, I know that the Christian defenders of sin will say, “It’s HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS brother, not ours.” Your kidding me? Really? My friend, OF COURSE it is his righteousness and not ours that we must trust in. But what these defenders of sin are REALLY SAYING is that WE stay in sin, but we’re not accountable because we ‘believe’ in Jesus. But the problem with that is, the ‘believing’ that they are speaking of is nothing more than a mystical, empty, self defined ‘believing’ which allows the ‘believer’ to remain a sinner. Hmmm, how convenient. In fact it is not believing at all, but rather it is disbelieving Jesus and disbelieving what he suffered, died, and rose again for. I think a lot of folks have forgotten that the Gospel that Jesus died and rose again for is the Gospel of the kingdom of God, or at least that is what John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles preached (Mat. 3:2; Mat, 4:17; Mat. 10:7). And just what is this Gospel of the kingdom of God? “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but RIGHTEOUSNESS, and peace, and joy IN THE HOLY GHOST” (Rom. 14:17). Now if there is righteousness in the holy Ghost, we know that it is God’s righteousness, and not ours. But what I can’t figure out is how are we still separate from this righteousness of God if we have received the holy Ghost? And if we have NOT received the baptism of the Spirit with the inseparable sign of speaking in tongues, then we haven’t obeyed God and believed on Jesus, at least not according to the scriptures (Jn. 7:38,39; Acts 5:32). Friend, true faith in Jesus results in him baptizing our inner man with his Spirit, or his blood, or living waters; however you prefer to say it. And according to the scriptures this experience is THE experience of faith in Jesus that PURIFIES AND WASHES our hearts clean from sin (Acts 10:44-46; Acts 15:8; I Cor. 6:11).

It is certain that this blessed experience that Jesus came to this world to make a way for us to have, is the same experience that the “But now” part of Rom. 3:21 is talking about, meaning the righteousness of God which is imparted into our hearts by faith in Jesus. And it is this same experience that ‘justifies’ us from our sins, as Romans 3:28 declares, and is also stated in 1 Corinthians 6:11 which I have referenced above. The Christian defenders of sin are bound and determined that everyone stays a sinner, simply because THEY are staying sinners. But the beloved apostle put a lethal hit on that wicked religious philosophy in one of the most powerful chapters in the Bible: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him PURIFIETH himself, EVEN AS he is pure… Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, EVEN AS he is righteous” (I Jn. 3:2,3,6,7). Now I have to say, I really like the “even as” parts of this passage, that we see twice here. So if we hope to attain unto the resurrection of the dead, we will have to be pure, [even as] Jesus is pure, and we will have to be found in righteousness, [even as] Jesus is righteous. But if today’s ‘Christian’ Gospel is true, then Jesus has to be a sinner. Otherwise it is the scriptures that are true and we’re going to have to make the grade of true holiness in order to be saved (Mat. 5:8; Mat. 24:12,13; Eph. 4:24; Heb. 12:14; Rev. 20:6). Friend, don’t trust in the 'Gospel' of sin and allow it to make you a defender of sin, for it stands sure that “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). But rather, be reminded of the commandment of God, who has said, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Pet. 1:16). 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