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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Legacy · Q&A

Understanding Speaking in Tongues

Raphael-inspired painting of a white dove above a peaceful assembly in flowing luminous light.
© By One Spirit Ministries

Question:

I am trying to understand this, if you have any info, I would appreciate it. I have heard both sides and am very confused in speakng in tongues.

Thank You,

Tammy Gross

Answer:

Hi Tammy,

Thanks much for your inquiry regarding our website. Actually there is a whole lot of biblically informative stuff on our site concerning the topic of speaking in tongues. Our menu bar is on the right and also at the bottom; and also wherever you see black scripture quotations on our site, those are links to articles, most of which have to do with speaking in tongues. If you would like to tell me just exactly what it is, about speaking in tongues that is confusing to you, I would be more than happy to correspond with you on the topic. Also since you've left your address I'll try to get a couple of our radio or tv broadcasts copied and send them along as soon as I can.

The main things I would like to pass along at the moment is that speaking in tongues is a by-product of the experience of the new birth, or the holy ghost baptism. In other words speaking in tongues is not so much the experience itself, but rather the initial manifestation that the new birth has occurred. When a person fully repents of sin, and turns their will completely over to God, and believes whole-heartedly on Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, Jesus baptizes them with the holy ghost. The experience brings with it the literal washing away of sin from the inner being, and replaces it with the divine love and peace that dwells in the heart of God. And it always comes with the manifestation of the Spirit of God speaking through us in tongues that we've never spoken in before. It's automatic, and the tongues do not come by seeking for them or being mindful of them coming. They only come when the heart and mind is set fully on drawing nigh to Jesus, and that special new birth connection of faith is made. Speaking in tongues is the consistent "sound" that accompanies every new birth experience, that Jesus mentioned in John 3:7,8.

After one experiences the new birth they can and should continue to exercise the practice of speaking in tongues, in prayer and in worship. Once you've received the Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, it is a natural thing to continue this manifestation on a regular basis, and it always brings a renewing and peace to the soul. Isaiah referred to it as "rest and refreshing for the weary" (Isa. 28:11,12). In addition to these things, there is also a "gift of tongues," where someone may be particularly gifted in speaking in various kinds of tongues, and may also follow the utterance with the English (in our case) interpretation (I Cor. 12:10,28,30). I have done this some myself though I don't consider myself to have that particular gift of the Spirit in a prolific manner. I have been on the receiving end of this type of message from the Lord, spoken through someone in tongues and then in English, manifesting things that no one in the world could have possibly known other than myself.

So there is a difference between speaking in tongues as the steadfast sign of the new birth experience, and having a "gift" of tongues. Everyone speaks in tongues when they are born again, but not everybody receives a special gift of "divers kinds of tongues," and or the "interpretation of tongues." Thus the statement in I Cor. 12:30, "Do all speak in tongues?" The context there is all about "gifts" of the Spirit for people who have already received the Spirit. Anyway I hope that this helps some. I really recommend studying our website very thoroughly. You can really learn some solid bible truth through the various articles on the site that deal with this topic, as well as other topics of great importance. I'm leaving you a couple of good links to get you started, and the main thing is for you to really seek the Lord in prayer with total honesty of heart, humility, faith, and willingness to know what He would show you. He will steer you into the right understanding of things if you are willing and determined for Him to do so. May God bless you richly, and hopefully we will be able to correspond further in the future.

Sincerely,

Lary Hale

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