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 Pure in Heart

Three friends share warm fellowship as a man passes a bowl of vegetables to a woman across a home kitchen table.
© By One Spirit Ministries

"Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled" (Tit. 1:15). A lot of religious folks today really need to think about this scripture until they come to the same conclusion that the holy Ghost brought the apostle Paul to. There are far too many commandments of men present in the body of Christ today that have to do with external things. The truth is, God's people have been taught holiness, not according to what the Spirit of truth says, but according to "the precept of men" (Isa. 29:13). Holiness is the absence of sin, and the absence of sin is a pure heart that is free from sin. That is why Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for THEY shall see God" (Mat. 5:8). And that is exactly what the apostle Paul said, giving us the flip side as well: "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which NO MAN shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). And I should add that when sin is absent from someone's heart, that heart is going to be FULL of the love of God, as Peter stated: Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently" (I Pet. 1:22). And as I so often set forth, it is the holy Ghost, and the holy Ghost alone, that can and does purify anyone's heart from sin, and fills it with God's love: "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, [by] the Spirit of our God" (I Cor. 6:11). And again: " And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts BY the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5). When we are baptized with the Spirit of God into the body of Christ, we are made a "new creature," and are able to "walk in newness of life" (I Cor. 12:13; II Cor. 5:17; Rom. 6:3,4). And that newness of life means to "put OFF the old man with his deeds; And put ON the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col. 3:9,10). And I assure you that GOD'S image is holiness. And that is why the Lord requires holiness from all who would follow him and attain unto eternal life, as Peter told us: "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy" (I Pet. 1:13-16). And it is certain that we simply cannot do better than being pure in heart and full of the love of God. That is what the apostle Paul was alluding to in the following statement of truth: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature" (Gal. 6:15). Again, we just cannot do better than becoming a new creature in Christ, and thereby full of the love of God. And we cannot add anything to that experience except MORE OF THE SAME!! Not only so, but if we TRY to add anything to the pure love of God dwelling in us, we will end up only taking away FROM it.

Jesus made it abundantly clear that NO EXTERNAL THING could defile a man: "There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man... Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats. And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the 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. 7:15,19-23). And by the same token there is nothing that can be done by external means that can make the heart pure from sin. Only faith in Jesus that results in the baptism of the holy Ghost can accomplish that, and that is an internal, spiritual operation of the power of God. But the body of Christ today is subject to many commandments and doctrines that apply to external things, and these commandments of men are set forth for the purpose of working in both directions. There are many varying Christian affiliations that have their external commandments in order, whether for hair and dress codes, or dietary matters, or avoiding certain symbols or objects, or observance of carnal ordinances, or observance of days, etc. For instance, Jesus said, as is quoted above, that the law of clean and unclean meats under the old covenant was fulfilled, as he also showed to Peter and to Paul at a later time (Acts 10:9-16; I Tim. 4:4,5). And the apostle Paul made it crystal clear that ALL of the carnal ordinances of the law are fulfilled IN CHRIST (Rom. 8:4; Rom. 10:4; I Cor. 1:17; I Cor. 5:7,8; I Cor. 10:16,17; Gal. 3:3; Gal. 5:18; Eph. 2:15; Eph. 4:5; Philip. 3:3; Col. 2:10,16,17; Heb. 9:9,10). Friend, if you're heart is full of God's undefiled love, you will be led BY that love, which in reality is his Spirit; to do all things in a holy and sensible manner that brings no reproach on his name. On the other hand, if you're heart is NOT filled with the holy love of God, NO DEGREE of external practices and observance will be able to save you. PERIOD! In fact, paying attention to and giving regard to external carnal things, whether for avoidance or observance sake, will TAKE AWAY regard from the heart for the real spiritual things that Jesus died and rose to provide for us (Gal. 5:4,7,8,14-16). Not only so, but being in an environment where any of these kinds of things are upheld and observed, will also cultivate a judgmental, condemning spirit toward others in Christ who do NOT observe the same things. That is why the Pharisees condemned Jesus and his disciples for not observing their traditions such as the vigorous show of hand washing before eating (Mat. 15:2). But if we abide in the love of God, and give all of our focus, priority, and godly regard to the Spirit of his love that Jesus paid with his life for us to have; there will be nothing to take away from our love and regard for him; or to distract from our love for one another. And that is the mind that the apostle Paul was in when he wrote the following words: "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another" (Rom. 14:17,19). And all I can say to that my friend, is Amen.

From the Preserved Writings of Lary R. Hale

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Jesus Is All

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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