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

Scripture and the Nature of God

An earthly family gathers beneath an olive tree as a praying woman receives renewing Spirit light.
© By One Spirit Ministries

A certain topic has surfaced around me a number of times recently, and I would like to set the record straight about what the Bible says in regard to it. I'm talking about "pre-existence," meaning the belief that everyone was "with heavenly Father" as a spirit being before being born into this world. I wasn't quite aware of just how many of God's people believe this, so let's just go straight to some scriptures that will clear this up very quickly. Jesus made it clear as to where the problem of sin is at in man: "For from within, OUT OF THE HEART of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mk. 7:21-23). There's the answer to the sin issue right there, and the sin issue is what the truth of this topic comes down to. Sin is in the hearts of men, and that is why it is the heart that must be purified by the power of the holy Ghost baptism administered by Jesus to those who truly believe on him fully (Acts 10:43-46; Acts 15:8,9; Tit. 3:5; I Pet. 1:22). The 'heart' is the same thing as the spirit of a man, being the inner being, meaning the actual life substance of a person (Jas. 2:26). With that understanding we can go on to the root of the matter on this topic, and see whether the scriptures support "pre-existence" with "heavenly Father" or not. The following verse really tells the story: "For as IN ADAM all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Cor. 15:22). What this scripture means is exactly what it says; that we were all "in Adam" when he chose to sin, and took on a sinful nature. Because we WERE in Adam, we all took on that sinful nature because of his sin, as the scripture confirms to us again: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). So we all were accounted as sinners because we were all part of Adam's substance, being literally IN him.

Remembering that Jesus let us know of a certainty that the sinful condition is IN THE SPIRIT, or heart of men; what that tells us is that our spiritual substance was in Adam, along with our physical substance; which means that we WERE NOT "with heavenly Father" before being born in this world. We were rather IN our EARTHLY FATHER, and we all came from Adam. Again, that is why we were all born into this world with sin. Listen to what the apostle Paul said in regard to the same topic: "And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him" (Heb. 7:9,10). He did NOT say that PART of Levi was in the loins of Abraham and that part of Levi was "with heavenly Father." He said that LEVI WAS IN the loins of Abraham, and therefore he paid tithes to Melchisedec. And yet another aspect of this truth can be shown also from I Corinthians 15, where we found that "in Adam all died." "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven" (I Cor. 15:47). The account of the creation says it this way regarding "the first man:" "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7). Adam was not with God in heaven before being formed from the dust of the earth, but rather God breathed a spiritual essence into him, which was Adam's spirit and life. We are all derived from the same bodily and spiritual substance that Adam was created with, and that is why the scripture says that we all died [spiritually] in Adam. We died in Adam because we took on sin in Adam, and "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). And the ONLY way we could have taken on sin while in Adam, is that our spiritual substance was in Adam; because that is where sin is at, all of which things the scriptures have perfectly confirmed here. This is why Jesus had to be born of a virgin, and why he COULD NOT have come through an earthly father; because the spirit of a person comes from their father, as the scriptures have also confirmed to us here. Jesus was conceived and born as the Son of God that he has always been, even before anything else existed [other than the Father] (Mat. 1:20; Lk. 1:35; Prov. 8:22-30; Jn. 1:1-3; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:15-17).

Being born apart from the spiritual lineage of Adam, Jesus was born as the Son of God without sin, as the lamb of God without spot or blemish. And that is the meaning of the scripture quoted in this article, that says, "The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven." His body was of Adam, but as the scripture states, he was "conceived... of the Holy [Spirit]" (Mat. 1:20). Jesus began a new spiritual lineage of people, who are "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (I Pet. 1:23). Adam's seed was and is corruptible, having sin; but when we are born of the seed of our new father, even Jesus; we are born anew of this incorruptible seed, which is the word, or Spirit of God. If we have been baptized by Jesus with his incorruptible Spirit, Adam is no longer our father because our spirits are washed from his corruption and fused with the holiness of the Son of God (I Cor. 6:11,17). Had our spirits come from heaven into our bodies, then we would have been born without sin like Jesus. No my friend, Jesus truly is one of a kind, and none of us are in that club. As for us, our bodies are still the offspring of Adam, but if we finish our course here without sin in our lives we will also receive "the redemption of our body" in the first resurrection at the second coming of Jesus to this world (Rom. 8:23; I Jn. 3:2,3; Rev. 20:6). When God said to Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee," he was simply speaking of his foreknowledge. In Romans 8:29,30 the apostle Paul speaks of the elect of God as though they had been justified and even glorified, which is to say immortalized, before the foundation of the world. But he also explains in that passage that he was speaking of the foreknowledge of God, whom Isaiah said "declares the end from the beginning" (Isa. 446:10). God knew us all by his vast foreknowledge of all things that would ever happen, but we were certainly not with him literally in heaven before we were born here. Rather, as the scriptures have clearly confirmed to us here, we were only with "earthly father" Adam. Amen.

Many thanks to God for the diligent study and knowledge given to my son Elisha on this topic, which contributed much to this writing.

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