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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The Kingdom of God

A kneeling man joyfully opens a buried chest filled with white light while a woman and an older man look on in a sunrise field.
© By One Spirit Ministries

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field" (Mat. 13:44). In the parables that Jesus told, where he said, "the kingdom of heaven [or kingdom of God] is like;" he was referring to believers having the Spirit of God in their lives. One scripture can confirm that for us quickly, defining what the "kingdom of God" actually is: "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy IN THE HOLY GHOST" (Rom. 14:17). To impart the holy Ghost to those who would believe on him was indeed the entire reason that Jesus came to this world, as his forerunner candidly and simplistically stated: "And [John] preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" (Mk. 1:7,8). And Jesus confirmed that this was what it is all about just before he ascended to heaven: "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts 1:4,5). And for good measure let's quote what Jesus said right after that, so that we can come full circle back to this point about the kingdom of God: "But ye shall receive POWER, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8). And the apostle Paul finishes that circle for us: "For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in POWER" (I Cor. 4:20). Okay, since we've established what Jesus was talking about when he said "the kingdom of heaven [or God] is like unto," let's go on with the parable. It's really simple, there's nothing tricky in this parable; Jesus is straightly saying that the holiness, the love, the peace, and the goodness of God's holy Spirit is going to mean more than anything to those who are true believers. Those who would follow Jesus do have to sell out to God in their hearts to even receive the holy Ghost, or at least to really receive it. The reason I say "really receive it" is simply because man has invented all kinds of ways for someone to receive the Spirit, but none of them are valid. There is still only one way to be baptized by Jesus with the holy Ghost, and that way is to have the experience confirmed by the Spirit itself, when it comes in and compels the utterance of new tongues in the recipient thereof (Mk. 16:17). That's the way this gospel experience began, and God has never changed it (Acts 2:4).

But the real test is KEEPING the holiness that God's Spirit imparts to us, as the top priority in our lives. And for those who get past the initial persecution of being seen as a radical and a religious fanatic and such, the biggest factor in that test is staying free from "the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches" (Mat. 13:20-22). This is where it can get tricky, not on God's part, but on our part. God has laid it down very straight for us: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment" (Mat. 22:37,38). So again we see the concept of selling all that WE have in order to buy that field with the treasure in it. It's an all the way, top priority deal with God, if we truly expect to be saved in the end. But the truth is, if we are not willing to remain totally honest with ourselves and with God, we can leave off "purifying [ourselves] even as he is pure," anywhere along the journey that we choose; and in so doing our priorities can very subtly shift from the kingdom of God to the things of this life (I Jn. 3:3). Oh yeah, and we can stay right there in the journey too, and be partakers of the holy Ghost along the way, and be failing at the same time. But my friend, if we begin to call things what they are not, and justify wrong in our lives, and still tell ourselves that God's holiness is our top priority; we are heading for as big as trouble as exists. The apostle Paul warned us to not follow the example of the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt, reminding us that they "did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness" (I Cor. 10:4,5). Those who were overthrown did NOT reach the promised land, and were left as an example for us to be warned by, lest we should also fail in disobedience, and not get to the promised land that we have been called to (I Cor. 1:11,12; Heb. 4:1,11). So what we must be wary of is not substituting "seeking first the things that pertain to this life, and letting the kingdom of God and his righteousness be added to that;" for "seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and [letting] all these things [food and raiment] be added unto us" (Mat. 6::33). And since I have borrowed from the parable of the sower and the seed to explain this parable, I will borrow from that parable for the conclusion of this matter as well: "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience" (Lk. 8:15). So again, keeping that "good and honest heart" is the key to keeping ourselves sold out to God, and keeping him truly first in our lives; so that we might hold onto and inherit forever the treasure in that field (Mat. 19:29; Mat. 25:34; I Cor. 6:9,10; Gal. 5:21; Heb. 6:12; Rev. 21:7,8).

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