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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Truth and the Heart

Peter speaks in a stone courtyard while Cornelius and three household members pray beneath descending pearl-gold and cyan light.
© By One Spirit Ministries

"A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue" (Prov. 17:4). It really is just that simple my friend. Anyone with and honest heart is going to take to the truth when it is presented to them. Everyone who is looking for a reason to refuse the truth would just rather be a liar. Whether truth or error, everything has a compatible counterpart in all men. Sadly the counterpart for most people is error. And why would that be? Well, Jeremiah tells it just like it is: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings" (Jer. 17:9,10). The truth of the matter is that man does not know his own heart, and the reason for that is because he was born into this world with a perversely distorted spirit, thanks to sin. David, by the inspiration of the holy Ghost was in full agreement with this assessment: "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psm. 51:5). But thanks be to God, he has made a way for us to escape that condition, and this is it: "And God, which [alone] knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, PURIFYING THEIR HEARTS by faith" (Acts 15:8,9). Peter was speaking here of the first Gentiles to have the gospel preached to them, and of the experience that they obtained from God through their faith; which experience, as he stated, "purified their hearts:" "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God" (Acts 10:44-46). That experience which alone purifies the perverse hearts of men, was and is the baptism of the holy Ghost, which is always initially evidenced by speaking with other tongues. In fact this experience is the ONLY reason that Jesus came to this world to suffer, die, and raise from the dead; even as his forerunner simplistically stated: "I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" (Mk. 1:8). And though there is an experience with God by faith in Jesus before being baptized with the Spirit, that experience is NOT the remission of sins and purifying of the heart [from sin]. There is a conception before birth in the natural realm, and the same is true concerning the new birth experience (Jn. 16:21; Rom. 1:20). So we can have our hearts, which Jeremiah, or God actually, said are "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;" purified from that depraved state through the baptism of power that Jesus himself baptizes with (Acts 1:4,5,8). But in order to receive that experience one must fully agree with God, that they indeed ARE IN a depraved state of spirit, and desperately need to be cleansed and changed by the power of God (Rom. 6:3,4; II Cor. 5:17). Without total honesty of heart, calling everything just like it is, you will get nowhere with God. Not now. Not ever. Period.

It is an insult to God to call sin anything other than sin, and to try to make an excuse for one's own faulty condition. And not only does it take absolute honesty of heart to get STARTED with God, it also takes KEEPING absolute honesty till the end in order to be saved, as David clearly realized: "Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth IN HIS HEART (Psm. 15:1,2). So then, our hearts can be cured of their condition of deceitfulness and wickedness, simply by coming fully clean with God, being baptized with the Spirit, and continuing on the same exact path that we start on. The apostle Paul understood this reality and wrote the following: "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him" (Col. 2:6). Most people who receive God's Spirit, sadly do NOT continue on the path that got them started, and subsequently they do not grow in the Spirit or produce much real fruit. Much of that is due to the overwhelming prevalence of erroneous traditions and doctrines that dominate the entire landscape of Christianity. But many are honest enough with themselves to know that something is seriously wrong in the environment that they worship God in. These are the people that can heed God's call to forsake these erroneous, spiritually toxic environments, and boldly come unto Jesus to find HIS word: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the [congregations]" (Rev. 3:13; Rev. 18:4). Finally, Jesus put the cap on this whole matter of the importance of remaining completely honest in heart, when he told the parable of the sower and the seed. Most people do not realize that the first three conditions that he described were indicative of God's people who will NOT be saved in the end; but it's what he said about the fourth condition that I like, because that is the one condition that will be found worthy of salvation: "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). God's Spirit speaks nothing but truth, but the only people who can truly hear it and continue in it are those who keep and honest and good heart (Jn. 8:31,32). If we do not keep total honesty of heart then the original condition of deceit and wickedness returns, and as our text scripture points out, those who are NOT fully honest do NOT hear or keep the truth. No wonder one of my most valued scriptures in all the Bible is this: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). And for the flip side, another sobering verse is also one of my favorites: "The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding [truth] shall remain in the congregation of the dead" (Prov. 21:16). I think that about covers it for now. 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