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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Today I just want to say a few words about the starkest reality of this life

Three mourners reflect quietly beside an extinguished candle, with a closed coffin and white lilies behind them.
© By One Spirit Ministries

Today I just want to say a few words about the starkest reality of this life. My favorite book in the Bible is Ecclesiastes, and the reason is because it focuses so intently on the fact that we are all going to die. Please don't tell me that you're one of these people that think it is morbid to reflect often on the reality of death. If so, then you should consider the words of Solomon, who was given by God the gift of unparalleled wisdom from heaven: "It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth" (Eccl. 7:2-4). So the heart of the wise contemplates the stark reality that this life will NOT continue. Well, it is certain that Solomon's heart kept the awareness of death close by at all times, as that powerful book demonstrates. In fact the point of Ecclesiastes, also known as "The Preacher," is summed up in the very first statement of the book: "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity" (Eccl. 1:2). In order to understand the sobering message of this book, you have to understand what the word 'vanity' actually means in this context. 'Vanity' comes from the Hebrew word 'Hebel,' which means "vapour, or a breath." The meaning also expands to "transitory," which means "passing away without continuance," and to "empty, or futile." All of these things come back to the "vapour" meaning, which is to say our life in this world evaporates very quickly, like a breath that is inhaled, and quickly exhaled. James confirmed this meaning to us in the new testament writings in living color: "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that" (Jas. 4:14,15). So James makes the same graphic point that the whole book of Ecclesiastes makes, and that is very simply that we are not going to be here in this world for very long; and in fact the particular duration of each one of our lives is altogether uncertain. You can look in your local obituaries on just about any given day and be confirmed that some people live long, some to middle age, and some die very young. But one thing is certain, and that one thing is death. But the meaning of the book of Ecclesiastes is lost in today's cotton candy Christian gospel, because the spirit and mindset of "eternal security," and "sinners saved by grace," just puts everyone on a false spiritual "easy street." The overwhelming consensus among those who profess faith in Christ is that it's all about "getting saved" [through any of a number of man-made traditions], after which you're home free. Many will deny that they are of that mindset, but when put to the test they will show you very quickly that they "have a home in heaven, and nobody can take it away." But the truth is, that whole spectrum of religious thinking is so far off the beaten path that it really defies description. And it also defies everything in the Bible, by the way. First off, the Bible's defining of being born again is not "getting saved," but rather being "baptized by one Spirit into one body [of Christ]" (I Cor. 12:13). And by being baptized [with the Spirit] "into Christ" we thereby become a "new creature" (II Cor. 5:17). This is the born again experience defined by the scriptures, and there is not one single mention in the Bible of ANYONE ever "getting saved" through ANY of the modern Christian traditions that make that claim.

According to the Bible, there is a whole lot more that goes into being saved than merely experiencing the new birth. Here are just a couple of solid notes to clarify and confirm that statement: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philip. 2:12). Now hold that thought on "fear and trembling," because I'm going to come back and finish off with that in a moment. But first this: "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it" (Heb. 4:1). Note the "fear" element once again. And this: "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness" (II Pet. 3:17). Now we will get to the whole point, and we'll let Peter take us there, and then we will finish with Solomon's profound summation of truth in Ecclesiastes. First Peter: "And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear" (I Pet. 1:17). Wow! These guys who wrote the Bible by the overshadowing of God's Spirit, really pushed the point of godly fear. Now before closing with Solomon just let me point out that every one of these quoted scriptures were written by apostles to believers in Christ who were already "in Christ" by means of being baptized with the Spirit with the accompanying sign of speaking in tongues. No one was or is "in Christ" then or now by any other means, and the scriptures were written ONLY to those who WERE and ARE in Christ. So then, why would these kinds of sobering admonitions be written to people who were already "saved," and who already had salvation, signed, sealed, and delivered? Like I said friend, the gospel of Christianity defies everything that is plainly written in the holy scriptures. But let's allow Solomon, through the magnitude of God's wisdom that was bestowed upon him, give us the final word on this all-integral topic: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for THIS is the WHOLE DUTY of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12:13,14). So the conclusion of this powerful and sobering book of God's wisdom, regarding the nature and manner of this life, is that our eternity is going to be decided by how we choose to live our lives for the short time that we are in this world. And that my friend is the overwhelming theme throughout the entire Bible. If we go God's way and put his ways in top priority till the end of our lives, we will have shown him that our chief desire is to be with him; and so shall we be forevermore (Mat. 24:12,13; Mat. 25:34-40; I Jn. 3:2,3). If we fail to do so, then we will have demonstrated to God thereby that we prefer to be apart from him, and we will go to the place that is eternally apart from him; which is the place of fiery torment that was created for the devil and his angels (Rev. 14:10,11; Mat. 13:41,42; Mat. 25:41-46). I don't know about you, but I really like the idea of the former, and I really do not like the prospect of the latter. So I reiterate that it is a wise practice to often consider the one looming reality of this life - That it will end. 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