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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Legacy · Gospel E-Word

Liberty and the Good Fight of Faith

By Lary R. Hale

A believer steps into golden morning light with broken chains at his feet — © By One Spirit Ministries

I would like to say just a few things about the meaning of the word liberty, as it is meant to be understood by God's people, and what it takes for us to have and keep it. First let's consider that having liberty obviously means to be brought out from under bondage to someone or something, or both. We know that Jesus came from Heaven to establish a way whereby He could redeem us from sin; and God be thanked, so He did! So the term liberty, as it should be understood by the children of God, means to be brought out from under the dominion that sin has exercised over us all our lives (Rom. 6:16-18). I don't believe that anyone is in dispute about this reality of the Gospel; but how this redemption, or liberation, takes place, is something that desperately needs to be understood in unison by the body of Christ today.

One scripture, II Cor. 3:17, can begin to give clarity to the Bible's answer as to how this redemption, or buying back from bondage takes place in the life of an individual: "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." This scripture is not saying that the Spirit of God is all that there is to Jesus. Jesus said that the Spirit would be sent back from Heaven in His name, after He went back to the Father. And after He ascended to Heaven He sent back the holy Ghost in His stead, meaning that the holy Ghost is now the only entity in this world representing Jesus. So the first point made by II Cor. 3:17, as mentioned above, is that there simply is no Jesus, or no God for that matter, in this world, apart from the holy Ghost. Jesus is in Heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father, who obviously is in Heaven as well. But the holy Ghost represents both Jesus and the Father here on earth since the time that Jesus went away and sent it back here (Jn. 14:23).

Now the second point of II Cor. 3:17; as it states, is that wherever the Spirit of God is, there is liberty. This is to say that when someone receives the Spirit of God into their life, they are delivered from the bondage and dominion of sin, and are thus enabled to stay that way by means of the power of God . Hallelujah! Oh Glory to God, may we thank God eternally for this glorious and holy reality that He has so graciously manifested to us: that we can actually be delivered from the power of sin, literally, and from the grip of Satan; and be liberated into the "peace which passeth all understanding." Amen and amen! When Jesus said "Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest;" bless your heart, He meant it! There is an abundance of rest for our souls, if we will daily cast our cares upon Him.

Two more points about this glorious liberty described to us by the Scriptures: First of all, the way that someone receives the Spirit of God into their life, is to be baptized with the Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. This truth is clearly evidenced throughout the new testament scriptures, and is clearly outlined in detail on our page about Receiving the Holy Ghost. And because this is true, it means that no one is liberated, or delivered from sin, before or without being baptized with the Spirit. And I am sadly aware that God's people have been universally taught otherwise. The Congregation of God has been taught diligently to disesteem the very power that brought us out of sin, and to esteem something else in it's place ("getting saved," "joining the Church," "accepting the Lord," "confessing Jesus," etc.). As it happened in the Old Testament, so has it happened now: "behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt" (I Kings 12:28).

The next point is a direct result of the former. God's people, meaning those who have been baptized with the holy Ghost (I Cor. 12:13), have been misled into believing that sin is something that we all just have to live with, and that nobody really gets literally delivered from the inner bondage of sin; but rather we have a figurative deliverance, if we believe what Jesus did for us. This erroneous school of thought is most popularly summed up in the phrase "saved by grace." But a more thorough examination of the term "grace" in the Scriptures will reveal that being under grace means that we not only CAN be literally delivered and washed from the very nature of sin, but that we must be: and we must remain that way if we hope to inherit eternal life. It is no marvel that God's people now find themselves steeped in sin, divided against one another, drained of divine life and power; trying so hard to replace these lost treasures with added service and zeal, but yet "not according to knowledge." In other words, we have lost our divine liberty, and the benefits and privileges thereof. Seeing we have disesteemed the true grace of God, which is the infusion of His all-encompassing Spirit into our very being, and have replaced this grace with other forms of "grace" which do not deliver from sin; what can we really expect as a result? And this I say with genuine sorrow of heart.

There is however a solution to this calamitous dilemma that God's people are presently overwhelmed by. That solution begins with us forsaking the doctrines and commandments of men, which have made the word of God of none effect; and with honest and humbled hearts, laying hold on the real life-giving truths of the living God. This will enable us to return to our roots, so to speak. Through belief of the truth, we can retrace our steps back to where we first believed and received the blessed holy Ghost in our lives. It may be, if we duly esteem what God has done for us through His Son Jesus, by rightly esteeming the experience that resulted from all that Jesus suffered and accomplished for us; that He will grant us mercy, that we might "remember therefore from whence [we] are fallen, and repent, and do the first works;" (Rev. 2:5). Thus we will be far better equipped to "fight the good fight of faith," and to "lay hold on eternal life" (I Tim. 6:12). This we can do, merely by continuing in Christ as we began: by seeking Him daily with faith, humility, and perseverance, ; and by walking in the power and the love of the Spirit that we've received .

I want to close this article by mentioning a couple of very important points about the liberty of God's people, and about the "good fight of faith." Liberty is never to be interpreted as the license to do what ever we may so choose to do, regardless of the moral substance, or lack thereof, of what we are doing. That is not liberty. It is rather a delusive bondage to self will. The struggle to preserve that kind of supposed liberty is altogether carnal, and is certainly doomed to fail, being in opposition to the will of God. The liberty that we must strive after is that which consists of holiness; and the faith, love and peace of God in our lives. And our fight to attain unto this liberty, and to preserve it unto life eternal, is one that can only be fought with the spiritual weapons of that same divine love, faith, peace and joy. As we are told in II Cor. 10:3,4: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

We must never forget that the warfare that we have been called to is "not against flesh and blood..." (Eph. 6:12), but against spiritual adversaries. And as we approach a time of tribulation, and a time of deception, such as this world has never seen, we should remember the admonition of the great apostle Paul: "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (II Tim. 3:4). Anyone who would allow themselves to be lured into focusing on the political, social, and international issues of this life, is missing the mark, and being set up for a huge fall spiritually.

Beloved, this is a time to pray much for one another, for the nation that we live in, and for all men (I Tim. 2:1-4; Eph. 6:18,19). And this is a time to know the difference between what the Spirit of God is saying His people, and what men are saying to them without the voice of the Spirit (Rev. 2:7,etc.; I Jn. 4:1; John 10:27; Mat. 24:4,24). Being ultimately liberated from this vile, corruptible body; and from this vile, corruptible world; and receiving a body like unto Jesus forever in a world of eternal glory, is what's at stake; and we can't afford to fall short of such a glorious prize. (Plilip. 3:20,21; I Jn. 3:2,3). And remember: "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom.1 2:21); for this is the good fight of faith. May God bless you now and ever. 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

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