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 · Writings

The Power of the Personal Testimony

By Lary R. Hale

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

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Rev. 12:11).

We are told in I Jn. 5:4 that we overcome the world by our faith in Jesus. "The world," as is stated, means the spirit of this world (Satan), and the mind or nature of this world, which is the carnal mind (Eph. 2:2; Rom. 8:5-7; I Jn. 2:16). And Jesus made it very clear in His messages to the seven messengers of the congregations of God in Asia minor, that only those who overcome will be saved, and be partakers of the eternal rewards that God has prepared for the faithful (Rev. 2:11,17,26, etc). What I would like to do is to correlate our text scripture, to the realization and need of our overcoming the world by faith in Jesus. And first of all we should note that it isn't possible for anyone to literally overcome the nature of sinning, and the delusively powerful spirit of this world, on their own strength. In fact this is the very reason why Jesus had to come and accomplish everything that He accomplished for our sakes. The Apostle Paul confirmed this reality for us in Rom. 5:6, saying "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

So in order for us to be able to overcome the worldly nature and spirit that had power over us all of our lives, we obviously must have power above what we have ever had. That brings us to what Jesus told His first faithful followers before He left this world to be again with His Father: "...wait for the promise of the Father, . . . For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. . . ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:4,5,7). Notice how Jesus tied together His followers receiving power through the holy Ghost, and them becoming witnesses of Him. It is very important for me to point out that the word "witness," and the word "testimony" come from the same Greek word, and have the same meaning, which is to bear witness or to bear record to something or someone. In fact the word "record" also comes from the same Greek word. A witness of anything must have accurate evidence of that which it bears witness to, or it becomes a false witness. So the only way that anyone can bear witness of Jesus, is if they are being like Jesus. In other words anyone can talk the talk about Jesus, but the only people who are truly bearing witness to Jesus are those who are walking the walk, as it has been said. And again, the only way that we can walk as Jesus walked, is if we have power over the nature of sin and the spirit of this world that would have us under sin.

The power of the holy Ghost that was imparted to those first believers on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:4 is in fact the witness, or testimony of Jesus Christ. Jesus foretold this truth in Jn. 15:26,27 saying that when the Spirit was sent back from heaven, the Spirit would testify of Him, and that His disciples would also bear witness to Him. So they needed to receive the overcoming power of the holy Ghost in order to have true deliverance from sin, and become accurate witnesses of Jesus; not only in word, but also in deed and in truth (I Jn. 3:18). To be further certain that the holy Ghost is the very witness, or testimony of Jesus, we are told in Heb. 10:15 that the Spirit is the witness to us that Jesus indeed sits at the right hand of God making intercession for the remission of sins for those who truly believe on Him and depend on Him for that remission, and for power over sin. And again in I Jn. 5:6 we are told that "it is the Spirit that beareth witness (of Jesus), because the Spirit is truth." And that brings us to the root of the matter, which is set forth also in I Jn. 5:10, where we are emphatically told that "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself:" So those who truly believe on Jesus are those who have received the holy Ghost into themselves, because the Spirit is that witness of Jesus, as we have seen established by the scriptures.

Anyone who is not overcoming the inner workings of sin, and are not conducting themselves in a manner of living that bears witness to Jesus, either has not received the Spirit, or is not continuing in the overcoming power of the Spirit and subsequent freedom from sin. And those who are living in true holiness before God by the power of His Spirit, are the ones who truly are bearing witness to Jesus, because they have that witness in themselves, and are keeping themselves under the power thereof (Rom. 8:2,13,14). And these are the ones who are overcoming the devil "by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony;" as stated in our text scripture. Like those first believers who received this power from heaven on the day of Pentecost, those today who have truly received the Spirit of God have a sure word of testimony of this glorious and powerful experience from heaven. After one becomes a partaker of this power by repentance from sin and faith toward Jesus; as long as he keeps himself under this divine power, he will always have a word of personal testimony that cannot possibly be thwarted. The confidence that one derives from a life free from sin, and full of the joy of the Lord, just can't be overcome or denied.

As it was in the beginning of this gospel, so it is now: the one and only true gospel experience is one that is very personal and very powerful, namely the baptism of the holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. Anyone who has it and keeps it alive and thriving in their life, will be made "more than conquerors (overcomers) through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37). And you may ask, more than conquerors over what? Over sin and over Satan, that's what! We are told in Prov. 18:21 that "death and life are in the power of the tongue." If we receive this holy witness from heaven, and allow it to overcome all sin in us, then we will always have an overpowering confession of faith in Jesus, which confession is rooted in the reality of the power of God that has set us free and kept us free from sin; and from the Devil's illusions which are designed to keep us under the power of sin (Rom. 8:2-4). This is that "word of testmony" referred to in our text scripture. This is also what the Apostle Paul was referring to in Rom. 10:9 where he exhorts believers to continue confessing their faith in Jesus unto salvation.

When someone gives testimony of the things that they have truly experienced by and through the power of God's Spirit, there simply is no way of gainsaying or refuting it. The Apostle Paul knew the value of the personal testimony. He never left off bearing witness to how Jesus first began dealing with him and turning him to the way of truth (Acts 22:6; Acts 26:13). And anyone who truly has the real gospel experience in their life, will never leave off testifying of it, as long as they are keeping themselves alive in the Spirit. And if we do have a testimony of receiving the miraculous power of God into our lives, and we keep that testimony or confession alive by staying free from sin, then we will be in the number of those who overcome the world, and inherit eternal life. Not only so, but having a testimony of the reality of God's power, love and truth, is the only way that anyone could be able and willing to endure even death for the sake of Christ, as stated in our text and as is confirmed to us in the book of Revelation (Rev. 6:9; Rev. 20:4). If we do not have this witness or testimony from heaven, then we cannot possibly overcome sin or be saved in the end; as we are soberly informed in Rom. 8:9: "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." And the same fate applies to those who do receive the Spirit but do not continue walking in the Spirit and overcoming sin, as the scriptures solemnly warn us (Heb. 6:4-8; Heb. 10:28,29; II Pet. 2:19-22; etc.). The good news is that Jesus wants us to be conquerors, and He also stands ready to furnish us with the power and grace that we need for the task, as long as we make our need known to Him and seek Him humbly and honestly for His help (Heb. 4:15,16). 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

Remember him