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

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True Fellowship Beyond a Social Gathering

By Lary R. HaleAugust 15, 2012

Two women and two men bow together in a close prayer circle, their hands softly lit beneath an open window overlooking olive trees. — © By One Spirit Ministries

Another post today that begins with with a question: Are you looking for fellowship, or just a nice religious social environment? The one you can find anywhere in abundance, while the other is almost non-existent. You guessed it, I am saying that true fellowship in Christ can be found very close to nowhere. Yes I know, this is once again a very hard saying. Seems like I remember some other guys who were given to the same kind of words that seemed hard to those who heard them (Jn. 6:60; Gal. 4:16; I Jn. 4:6; Jd. 1:12,13; etc.). But as always, I am going to provide consistent scriptural evidence to back up and confirm this hard saying. First of all though, let's just say that anyone can go to any Christian affiliation anywhere at anytime, and find a socially religious circle within that particular affiliation. For most folks that seems to be enough, and that is a crying shame, because that social religious environment CANNOT and WILL NOT save anyone. True fellowship on the other hand, if found and maintained CAN and WILL save those who are given to it. First I would like to point out that the words "fellowship" and "communion" come from the exact same Greek word, "Koinonia." Koinonia is best defined by the words, "intercourse" and "intimacy." Think that sounds a little bit graphic? It does, and with good reason. The true union of Christ and his spiritual body on earth is likened unto the marriage of a man and a woman, and I mean physically: "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the [congregation]" (Eph. 5:31,32). Now these words "joined unto" and "one flesh" mean exactly that. So that brings us to the real meaning of fellowship and communion. Jesus prayed for a very special and needful thing for all believers that goes to the point: "That they all may be ONE; as thou, Father, art IN me, and I IN thee, that they also may be one IN us... And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, EVEN AS we are ONE: I IN them, and thou IN me, that they may be made perfect in one" (Jn. 17:21-23). So we are talking about a spiritually intimate intercourse between Christ, the Father, and true believers; even as married men and women are literally IN one another through physical intercourse. So what we need to understand is HOW Jesus was in the Father, and vice versa, as he said; and how believers can be "one" in the same way. The key is the "glory" that he said he would give to believers, so that they COULD be one as he and the Father were and are one. Romans 6:4 with I Peter 3:18 plainly shows us that the Spirit of God is that "glory," so it is the holy Ghost that brings that oneness to pass for those who receive it and follow after it in true holiness. And that makes perfect scriptural sense, because we are told that it is the Spirit baptism that puts us INTO Christ (I Cor. 12:13). And Galatians 3:26-28 really brings the point home by telling us that the holy Ghost baptism puts us into Christ, whereby we "put on Christ," and are made "one" IN HIM! That oneness my friend, IS fellowship and communion. This oneness, or fellowhip was born on the day of Pentecost when around 120 people were first baptized with the Spirit, and thereby the body of Christ was born (Acts 1:4,5; Acts 2:4; Eph. 4:4,5).

Sadly that first fellowship of believers in Christ with one another, and with the Father and the Son, did not take very long to begin to dissipate by and large. All of the apostles who wrote the new testament scriptures warned believers of those who had begun teaching false things about Jesus and about the gospel that he died and rose again to establish. Those false teachings, which constituted "another Jesus" and "another gospel," as the apostle Paul stated, sowed division and discord among believers from that perfect oneness and fellowship that first came in the Spirit at Pentecost, and which had continued for a season (II Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:6,7; Acts 4:32). By the end of Paul's life, his testimony was that all of the congregations that he had established in Asia had been turned away by these false apostles and teachers from the truth that he taught them (II Tim. 1:15). The apostle Paul had labored tirelessly exhorting believers to stay with their first oneness and communion of believers with God, his Son, and one another, with words like these: "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). It is not just receiving the Spirit initially, but rather continuance in being taught and led by that same Spirit that maintains that unison of believers with the Father and the Son (Jn. 14:26; Rom. 8:14; I Jn. 2:27). You see, the holy Ghost is NOT a third person as the erroneous "trinity" doctrine perpetrates. The Spirit of God is in fact the very life and divine nature that first dwelt in the Father, and that he gave to dwell in the Son in the day that he begat him before anything else existed; and that Jesus came so that he could impart to us (Rom. 8:2; Jn. 5:26; Col. 1:15,17; Jn. 10:10; Rom. 5:5). And the holy Ghost is the Spirit of TRUTH, which truth exists harmoniously between God and his Son; and is taught to all who will submit themselves to God's will and seek him for his truth (Jn. 16:13; Isa. 54:13; Heb. 11:6). There is no division of understanding between the Father and the Son, and TRUE FELLOWSHIP, or communion is exactly that; as the apostle Paul implored the Corinthians in the above quoted scripture. Further evidence that this holy "communion of the holy Ghost" [II Cor. 13:14] was lost early, is evidenced in Jesus' message to the pastor and congregation in Laodicea in the book of Revelation: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come IN TO him, and will SUP with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20). Jesus, meaning the Spirit of truth [II Cor. 3:17], had been boxed out by means of the falsehoods that had been dictated to these people, and he was calling for these believers to return to him in their hearts, and restore their communion and fellowship with him. Communion has nothing to do with a carnal ordinance of breaking crackers and drinking juice. Nothing at all. Jesus made it clear at the last supper that what they were doing would later be kept in a "new" way, when it would be "fulfilled in the kingdom of God" (Mat. 26:29; Lk. 22:16,18). That fulfillment came with the baptism of the Spirit at Pentecost, for we are told, "For the kingdom of God is NOT meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy IN the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17). And Paul assured us that the supper that we keep is that which consists of "the unleavened bread of SINCERITY AND TRUTH" (I Cor. 5:8). Jesus himself said that HE is the bread of life that came down from heaven, which if a man eat, he will live forever; and the scripture says that "the Lord IS that Spirit" (Jn. 6:51; II Cor. 3:17). So true fellowship is first being baptized into Christ by the holy Ghost, and then following after what the Spirit of truth teaches, and being led by that and nothing else. There is no other true fellowship in Christ. My friend, Christ is not divided from the Father, and neither will his bride be divided from him or from one another; but will be in "one mind and one accord," as this glorious gospel began (Acts 2:1). Amen.

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In loving memory

Lary R. Hale

November 13, 1954April 21, 2024

Lary smiling with his beloved dog Champ — Lary with Champ

Obituary

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

Remember him