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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Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again

Jesus speaks with Nicodemus on a night rooftop beside an oil lamp and olive branches, with Jerusalem rooftops beyond.
© By One Spirit Ministries

"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (Jn. 3:7,8). In this passage of scripture Jesus was conveying a little known message to Nicodemus the Pharisee about an infallible truth that is vital to the understanding of new testament believers. Jesus is describing something very simplistic here, and it is something as he said, that is present with "every one that is born of the Spirit." This is one of those passages that is better understood if you look at it in the original Greek language that it was written in, so that is what we will do in short order here. What I want to do here is look at the key words in the passage, and in doing so we will leave out the easily understood words like "the,"it," "be," and the like. First off, the word "wind" in the Greek is the exact same word as the word "spirit," and that word is "pneuma." Next we have the word "bloweth," which is the same Greek word as the word "breathe." That word is "pneo." The word "listeth" is from "thelo," which means "to will." The last key word in the passage is "sound," which comes from the Greek word "phone," which is defined as "a SOUND or tone, a VOICE, or a SOUND of uttered words." Okay, those are the key words that make up this passage, and whatever these words sum up to mean by their true definitions from the original language that they were written in, is something that takes place every single time that a person is born again according to what Jesus called being born again. So let's look back at these words and put them together in that manner with the whole of the passage, with absolutely no twisting of meanings whatsoever. And here is what it comes out to say: "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The Spirit breathes where it will, and you hear its voice [sound of uttered words], but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is EVERY ONE that is born of the Spirit." So it is evident that Jesus was telling Nicodemus that every time the Spirit of God comes into a person, it is accompanied by the SOUND of words which are uttered by means OF the Spirit. And when the holy Ghost first came back from heaven, it came in exactly that manner: "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting... And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to SPEAK with other tongues, as the Spirit GAVE them UTTERANCE" (Acts 2:2,4). As I said, that experience on the day of Pentecost, was in perfect unison with what Jesus said to Nicodemus about the new birth.

Later when the gospel went to the Samaritans by Philip, everyone knew that the Samaritans were yet to receive the Spirit, even though they had experienced great and miraculous things by their faith in Jesus (Acts 8:5-8,14,15). So how DID everyone know that the Samaritans had not received the Spirit? After all, they certainly experienced life changing things by faith in Jesus and the power of God. Simple. Everyone knew the sign that accompanied the new birth each and every time it is experienced, and that sign had not shown up with the Samaritans. And later yet, when the gospel finally went to the Gentiles by Peter, the Spirit fell on those Gentiles shortly after Peter began preaching. The scripture says that the Jews who came with Peter "were astonished... because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 10:44-46). So how did they KNOW that these people had received the Spirit right there and then? Was it because these Gentiles "confessed Jesus as Lord?" Not there. Was it because they "accepted Jesus as their personal saviour?" No again. Did Peter have them recite a "sinner's prayer?" Not hardly my friend. Maybe they just flat "got saved" because they believed? Afraid not. Did they wait around a few months to see what kind of fruit they would bear? Didn't take that long. Peter and the believers who accompanied him knew of a certainty that these Gentiles received the holy Ghost right there on the spot AS SOON AS "they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God." They recognized the sign that God chose to accompany the new birth, and that sign is that "sound of uttered words" by means of the Spirit, that Jesus had told Nicodemus about. Anyone who chooses to argue against this established truth of God either doesn't want to come clean completely, or doesn't want to be persecuted for saying that someone else hasn't fully come clean BEFORE they've received the sign and witness from heaven that they HAVE come clean. The plain truth is that God designed the new birth in accordance with the natural birth, even as all spiritual truths can be explained by their parallels in the natural world (Rom. 1:20). When a living child is born, it has a birth cry that shows it is alive, and so it is with the new birth: "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). Yes friend, when someone receives the "Spirit of [divine] life," that same Spirit itself audibly declares them to be a child of God. And lest any should say that this "crying" can mean a silent cry, we have the meaning of the Greek word for "crying" to look to: "crying" is from "krazo," which is defined as, "to croak [as the cry of a raven], to cry aloud, or to speak with a loud voice." The word always means something audible, and as the verse says, it is THE SPIRIT that cries out from our hearts when it comes INTO our hearts. If there is no utterance of the Spirit, it is simply because there is no Spirit to give the utterance. So in conclusion, we can either acknowledge that it is God's gospel, or we can try to make it ours. Personally I love having it God's way. There is so much more peace in agreeing with him. Amen.

From the Preserved Writings of Lary R. Hale

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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