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.

Explore messages from the archive, or help tell this ministry’s story by sharing a memory for the family to review and publish.

From the ministry archive

Water Baptism Idolatry

A woman prays with open hands as two companions sit beside her in warm pearl-blue light.
© By One Spirit Ministries

Well, I think that’s a first. I put up a post on how water baptism is no longer in effect, and nobody gave me a scathing rebuke for it. I’m beginning to feel too well accepted. Actually I had another short message in mind on the subject while I was writing the post yesterday. It is this: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exd. 20:3). This is the first of the ten commandments, and being a moral law, it is still very much in effect. The ceremonial law is what is no longer in effect, being fulfilled by the Spirit (Rom. 10:4; Col. 2:10-17). So what does this commandment have to do with water baptism? It’s really quite simple. One scripture really tells the story like it is: “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (II Cor. 3:17). The “liberty” being spoken of here is freedom from sin, but it’s the first part of the passage that I want to get to here. There is absolutely no other presence or substance of Jesus in this world except for the holy Ghost, because as the passage states, “The Lord IS that Spirit.” Jesus said in John 14:26 that the holy Ghost would be sent back from heaven in his name. What this means is that the Spirit of God is here in the ‘stead’ of Jesus. More plainly, since Jesus is not here physically any more, the holy Ghost is here in his place. Jesus also made the following statements in John 14: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you… If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and WE will come unto him, and make OUR abode with him” (Jn. 14:18,23). So how was Jesus planning to come to his disciples after he went back to heaven? And how was it that he AND the Father were going to take up their abode with believers? Through the Spirit of course. That is all it could be because the holy Ghost is the only thing that he said was going to be sent back after he went away (Jn. 16:7).

When someone receives the Spirit they receive the Father and the Son because the holy Ghost is in fact the ‘life’ that indwells both the Father and the Son (Jn. 5:26; Jn. 10:10; Rom. 8:2). The Spirit is also what makes the Father and the Son ‘one:’ “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, EVEN AS we are one” (Jn. 17:22). They are in one mind and one nature through the Spirit, even as believers are instructed by the scriptures to be: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Cor. 1:10). So the point is this: If someone receives the holy Ghost and thereby becomes one with the Father and the Son, what can possibly be added to that? The scripture says, “He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit” (I Cor. 6:17). Being baptized with the Spirit INTO Christ is how we are joined to Christ, as the scripture states: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body;” and “He that is baptized INTO Christ has PUT ON Christ” (I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27). Putting on Christ is the same as being joined to Christ, and that can only take place by the holy Ghost baptism; “For the Lord IS that Spirit.” So there is no other ‘God experience,’ or ‘Jesus experience,’ other than the Spirit baptism with its accompanying sign of speaking with other tongues; because there is NO OTHER God or Jesus to have or receive here OTHER THAN the Spirit. So then, if we are made to believe that we have to go through a ceremonial ordinance, namely water baptism, to be complete; then we contradict the scripture that says, “And ye are complete IN HIM” (Col. 2:10).

The Spirit is what washes away our sins, sanctifies us, and justifies us, according to the Bible (I Cor. 6:11). So how does water baptism add to that? Many will say that we are to be water baptized in order to be in ‘obedience’ to Jesus, but the scripture plainly says that God gives the holy Ghost “to all them that obey him” (Acts 5:32). If water baptism is obedience to God, then why did Jesus baptize Cornelius and his household with the Spirit BEFORE Peter baptized them in water? And how is it that people today receive the holy Ghost with the sign of speaking in tongues without being baptized in water at all? Being “in Christ” makes us a “new creature,” and that means we are born anew by being IN CHRIST, which happens through the Spirit baptism (II Cor. 5:17). If God has given us the holy Ghost, that means we have obeyed him and that we have “put on Chirst,” and we are “COMPLETE in him.” Many folks want to stubbornly defend and hold onto water baptism because their Christian affiliation has erroneously taught them that it is necessary, when in fact it is not even in effect in the sight of God. The Bible is clear that “stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (I Sam. 15:23). What most of God’s people don’t realize is that their clinging to water baptism is indeed idolatry because it is assigning godly regard to something that was merely a symbolic ceremony that pointed to what Jesus was going to establish after a spiritual order (Mk. 1:7,8; Mat. 3:15; Eph. 4:5). And in attributing godly regard to a dead ritual is to take away regard from Jesus and the divine life that he died and rose to give us. And everywhere that water baptism is regarded and practiced along with the Spirit baptism, water is esteemed higher in the hearts of those who have the Spirit. And that my friend is breaking the commandment that says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Amen

From the Preserved Writings of Lary R. Hale

By One Spirit · Media library

Videos & songs

Broadcast 50Open on YouTube

Loading viewer…

Broadcast 50

Jesus Is All

More broadcasts

From the ministry’s YouTube archive. Visit the channel for new uploads.

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