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 Ten Virgins

Ten women wait with clay lamps at twilight; five carry oil flasks while the others examine their dim lamps.
© By One Spirit Ministries

The parable of the ten virgins is a very revealing truth regarding the reality that some of God’s people will do what is required to be saved, and some will not. To first understand the parable, we need to note that it is part of the same sermon that Jesus taught in Matthew 24 regarding the end time before his second coming. There is no pause or change of subject between the last verses of chapter 24 and the beginning of chapter 25, where the parable appears. In the original text of the scriptures there were no chapters and verses, but these were added by the translators at a later time. So with these things in mind, let’s take a look at the parable: “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish (Mat. 25:1,2). The very first word in this parable is very significant because it lets us know that whatever Jesus is talking about is something that will take place in the end time before his second coming, following suit with the first part of the same sermon that is recorded in chapter 24. The next important note is that the kingdom of heaven, which is the same thing as the kingdom of God, is made up of those who have obtained "righteousness, and peace, and joy, in the holy Ghost,” as is defined in Romans 14:17. So all ten virgins were people who had been “baptized by one Spirit… into one body,” the only way that anyone can truly have Jesus Christ in his life (I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; II Cor. 3:17; Rom. 8:9).

So all ten of these virgins had this one big thing in common: They had all been born again by being baptized with the holy Ghost into Christ, which of course means that they all had received the accompanying sign of the experience as well, which is “speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance” (Acts 2:4). “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Cor. 5:17). That scriptural reality sets the tone for us to understand the sobering truth conveyed by this parable. Without understanding that the original Spirit baptism is the new birth experience, there can be no real understanding of this parable. "They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps" (Mat. 25:3,4). So we see that all ten of these virgins had lamps, and they all took their lamps with them as they went forth to meet the bridegroom. The lamps represent the one thing that they all had in common, namely that they had experienced the new birth, which is the Spirit baptism that had put all of them into the one body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13- Again; Eph. 4:4). But the wise took something else with them for the journey that the foolish did not deem necessary to take, that being the oil. So what was the oil for, and why did the wise take oil, and the foolish did not? Let’s go further with the parable and find the answer: "And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out" (Mat. 25:8). The oil in the parable was obviously what kept the lamps of the wise burning as they endured in the journey, and this is why the lamps of the foolish were going dim, ready to be extinguished.

The oil represents (wisdom, as in wise). Wisdom is defined in the scriptures as the fear of the Lord (Prov. 9:10; Job 28:28). The difference between the wise and the foolish was that the wise understood that "without holiness no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). And the wise understood that it takes more than merely receiving the Spirit; but that it also takes "working out [our] salvation with fear and trembling" (Philip. 2:12). The foolish were counting on the fact that they had experienced the new birth, but they did not fear God enough to understand that they would still be lost if they did not continue to "purify [themselves] even as he is pure” (I Jn. 3:2,3). And they did not have the wisdom to realize that they had to continue to “keep [their] hearts [from sin] with all diligence” in order to be saved (I Jn. 3:3; Prov. 4:23). They believed, as many today believe, that they already had their salvation. But they were rudely awakened upon the completion of their journey: “And they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other [foolish] virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not" (Mat. 25:10-12). They expected to be saved, but found out differently at the end. These foolish virgins are the same people that Jesus had spoken of earlier in the sermon, saying, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” The wise were those that he referred to immediately afterward: “But he that shall endure the end, the same shall be saved" (Mat. 24:12,13). No wonder Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl. 12:13). 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