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

The Curse of Flattery

A mentor offers sincere counsel while symbols of vanity rest unused in shade.
© By One Spirit Ministries

I suppose everyone likes to hear something good about themselves once in a while, but one must be cautious about what he hears and what he allows to be said about himself. There is a time to encourage someone by telling them something good about themselves, and a time to hear something good about yourself as well. There is also a time for the devil to try to puff someone up with flattery, for the sake of seeing them fall. He loves to use that tool because there are so many willing recipients to it, and so few who will refuse and reprove it. The Bible has some serious things to be said on the subject: “For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue” (Psm. 5:8). It doesn’t sound to me like flattery keeps very good company. That verse in fact shows that it is the wicked who practice the art of flattery, and they think nothing of it. But the spirit that is moving them thinks a whole lot of it, because it knows that anyone who receives and relishes flattery is going down, as the next scripture shows: “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet” (Prov. 29:5). That simply means that the flatterer is putting something in the person’s path to trip them. People can become so accustomed to giving and receiving ‘the honor of men’ that they even believe that they can apply it to God, and that he will be impressed by it: “Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant” (Psm. 78:36,37). Job declared that practicing the art of flattery, which is to say give honor to men, will have repercussions on one’s children: “He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail” (Job 17:5). Someone who is prone to the flattering honor of men is obviously going to pass that spirit on to their children, which in turn will cause them to be spiritually blind to the reality of the fear of God, and to the love of God.

Jesus certainly understood the damage and detriment of receiving flattery, or the honor of men; and he knew that it was not of the love of God to do so: “I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you… How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” (Jn. 5:41,42,44). He also practiced what he preached: “And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God” (Mat. 19:16,17). Some people flatter someone that should be receiving a rebuke, and even think that it is love to do so. While that may seem like a blessing at the moment, the result of it is not good: “He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue” (Prov. 28:23). Another proverb makes that point even more clearly: “He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him. But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them” (Prov. 24:24,25). A lot of folks feel that it is love to “not hurt someone’s feelings” when they are in a fault, but the previous scriptures show clearly that it is a lie to think like that. So does this one, which incidentally is from Jesus: “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him” (Lk. 17:3). That my friend is the “love that covers the multitude of sins,” for that is the love that GETS RID of someone’s sins (I Pet. 4:8). The love of God that is manifested by rebuking sin, which Jesus spoke of, is the same love that James spoke of: “Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins” (Jas. 5:19,20). To 'cover up’ for someone’s sin by letting it remain hiding in darkness, is not love at all; or at least not according to Jesus and the apostles.

Many do not understand this facet of the love of God, and do not WANT to understand it, because it is what draws persecution from those who refuse to receive reproof for their sins. They need to consider the powerful truth of the ancient proverb: “Open rebuke is better than secret love” (Prov. 27:5). Jesus said plainly that he was going to send his Spirit for that very purpose: “And when [the holy Ghost] is come, [it] will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (Jn. 16:8). And in regard to this the scripture is clear on who the true children of God are: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). The Spirit of God does NOT lead ANYONE to either give or receive the flattering honor of men, any more than it led Jesus to do so. It DOES however lead those who are led by it to REPROVE sin, especially when the sin is with brethren, as Jesus also stated. The crybabies who get their feelings hurt when reproved for their sins, will always pull out the “that’s not love” card, or the “stop the hating” card. But as we have seen from overwhelming evidence of the scriptures, as well as from Jesus, that is a big fat lie. Anyone who wants to “attain unto the resurrection of the dead” had better get conditioned to being rebuked, because I assure you that a whole lot of it is on the way. God’s going to have a people who literally “love not their lives unto the death,” and they are going to singe this world along with the body of Christ with the rebuke of the prophets of old. And it will come by the broadest degree of the love of God that this world has ever seen. Those who condition themselves to flattery, whether in personal things or spiritual things, will call it 'hate,’ and their love will wax cold (Mat. 24:12). The entire Bible shows that it is the wicked who hate righteous reproof, and that the righteous love it (Prov. 9:8; Prov. 13:18; Prov. 15:10,12,31,32; etc.). So let’s get accustomed to calling love love, and to calling sin sin. It won’t make you popular with men, but it will gain you favor with God. I think that’s a pretty nice trade-off, if you ask me. God bless.

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