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 · Q&A

Did the Disciples Receive the New Birth in John 20?

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

Question:

Hello friend,

I happened to come across your website and was a little troubled by your explanation of what it means to be born again. If I understood it right you believe that a person is not born again until they are baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak with tongues. First I would like to say that I agree that the

baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is important in order to have power for ministry. But I think the scripture is clear that we are saved by

grace through. faith in the finished work of Jesus' cruxifiction and ressurection. Eph 2:8 I agree that there is overwhelming proof that the initial evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues. But I think it is also equally clear that the disciples received the "new birth" in John 20:21 when Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit and gave them the ministry of reconciliation. I understand your zeal to see people walking in the fulness of God's Spirit but would caution you against trying to put your finger on faith. Paul said faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. Jesus repeatedly spoke of the blessing on those believed without seeing. And we know that apart from faith it is impossible to please God.

God bless you in your studies,

Saleim

Answer:

Dear Saleim,

Thanks for your inquiry/response to our web site. Your perception is correct: The baptism of the holy Ghost is the new birth experience. To address your comments in as short of order as possible, let me begin by pointing out John 16:7, where Jesus plainly stated that no one could receive the Spirit until after He went away, which obviously is referring to Him leaving the earth by means of ascending back into Heaven. To add to that, in regard to faith in Christ, Jesus stated in John 7:37-39 that true faith in Him would result in the receiving the Spirit, which the same passage states could not be received until after He was "glorified," meaning when He went back into Heaven and received from the Father the glory that was His from before the foundation of the world - Immortality (Jn. 17:24). Though there are many passages, yet two very key and plainly stated scriptures show us that it is receiving the Spirit of God that takes

our sins away and makes us a member of His family (I Cor. 6:11; Rom. 8:9). Not only so, but one even more key sripture informs us that it is the baptism of the Spirit that puts anyone into the overall assembly of God's people, which is the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13).

As far as the finished work of Christ, it was absolutely not finished until after He ascended back "into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: (Heb. 9:24). And why did He have to go back into the Heavenly tabernacle to appear for us? Because "when he had by himself purged our sins, (He) sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:" (Heb. 1:3). And this: "but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared (in Heaven, as stated above) to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:26). You see, Jesus is the new testament High Priest, whose job it is to make atoning sacrifice for the sins of those who present themselves wholeheartedly in repentance and faith for the same. Hebrews 8:4 goes with all of the above by telling us that Jesus could not be a priest while He was yet on earth because the law was still in effect while He was

still on earth, which included the Levitical priesthood, which His priesthood was not of (Lev. 7:14). So the point is, Jesus could not make atoning sacrifice (offering) for the sins of those who initially believed on Him until after He went back into Heaven to do so, even as the Levitical high priest could only make the atonement once a year when he went into the holy of holies (Heb. 9:7). Jesus' suffering is what He was referring to when He said "It is finished."

These things are the reason why His final instructions to His followers before He ascended, were all about them waiting for the holy Ghost to come unto them (Acts 1:4,5). It was because He wanted to be certain that they did not miss the entire point for His coming, which point was also solely projected by John the Baptist, who was sent to introduce Jesus to Israel (Mk. 1:6-8; Jn. 1:33). John 20:21 that you mentioned, was a command to receive the holy Ghost, but as the above scriptures make perfectly clear, that reception could not be realized until after Jesus ascended back to Heaven. Acts 2:4 was the birth of the body of Christ, whereby those first believers received the new birth experience by the washing away of their sins. I could go on with much further detailed scriptural confirmation of this truth, but a lot of what I could say is contained in the pages of my website. I would encourage you, and any honest seeker of truth to study

further on the site, with honest and willing prayer to supplement it. The result of those two ingredients can only be a wonderful deliverance from the traditions and doctrines of men which make up all of Christianity; and a newfound understanding of the real truth of God, which cannot be found anywhere in Christianity. Amen. Thanks again for the letter Saleim. I'm always open and willing to engage honest, humble hearts, in the pursuit of the true fellowship of God's Spirit with His people.

Sincerely,

Lary Hale

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