A LAST CALL AND THE FINAL CALL
What was that? Not knowing what it was she heard in the middle of the night, Paigh Chastain awakened her husband, Pat, out of a sound sleep. Paigh was certain it must have been an intruder in their house. So, Pat instantly shook off his sleepiness and steeled himself to go and face whatever made the racket which had alarmed his wife.
Pat Chastain is not only the pastor of Celebrate Recovery Ministry at Southside Baptist Church in Warner Robins, but also serves as Assistant pastor of the Southside Pleasant Hill campus and is the CEO/President of Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia. He has dealt with many different situations in his life, but someone in your house in the middle of the night wasn’t one of them. Fortunately, after searching their house, and not finding anything unusual or out of place, he went back to bed. Later the next day, they came face to face with the intruder noise in the night. It was only the storage organizer unit in the closet which had collapsed and fallen making that disturbing night sound.
Pat Chastain is not only the pastor of Celebrate Recovery Ministry at Southside Baptist Church in Warner Robins, but also serves as Assistant pastor of the Southside Pleasant Hill campus and is the CEO/President of Rescue Mission of Middle Georgia. He has dealt with many different situations in his life, but someone in your house in the middle of the night wasn’t one of them. Fortunately, after searching their house, and not finding anything unusual or out of place, he went back to bed. Later the next day, they came face to face with the intruder noise in the night. It was only the storage organizer unit in the closet which had collapsed and fallen making that disturbing night sound.
The next day, Pat and Paigh headed to Lowe’s with the intention of buying the things they needed to put the closet back in order. As they were shopping, they had no idea that God was taking them on a specific rescue mission adventure that day which would indeed change someone’s eternal destiny.
Standing in front of the closet organizer area, Pat and Paigh were approached by a gentleman who exchanged pleasantries with them. Pat, well known in the Warner Robins/Macon community, often finds himself talking with people he once knew but couldn’t quite place. After finishing a brief conversation, Pat quizzed his wife as to who it was that they had been talking to. She told him it was Chris Swain, the man who they had used seventeen years previously for repair on their house.
The Holy Spirit had Pat’s mind racing as he headed back through the store in search of Chris Swain and he soon found Him. Pat, concerned because he hadn’t recognized him previously, asked how he was doing after all these years. He was stunned when Chris said that he had Stage 4 Cancer and did not have long to live. Without missing a beat, Pat immediately told him about the Celebrate Recovery meeting that was taking place the next evening and strongly urged him to attend. Surprisingly, Chris agreed to come. Because of his terminal cancer diagnosis, his schedule was wide open, and he could do whatever his strength would allow these days. So, the invitation was accepted! Pat knew in his spirit that God had guided him to that store to have that divine encounter.
Standing in front of the closet organizer area, Pat and Paigh were approached by a gentleman who exchanged pleasantries with them. Pat, well known in the Warner Robins/Macon community, often finds himself talking with people he once knew but couldn’t quite place. After finishing a brief conversation, Pat quizzed his wife as to who it was that they had been talking to. She told him it was Chris Swain, the man who they had used seventeen years previously for repair on their house.
The Holy Spirit had Pat’s mind racing as he headed back through the store in search of Chris Swain and he soon found Him. Pat, concerned because he hadn’t recognized him previously, asked how he was doing after all these years. He was stunned when Chris said that he had Stage 4 Cancer and did not have long to live. Without missing a beat, Pat immediately told him about the Celebrate Recovery meeting that was taking place the next evening and strongly urged him to attend. Surprisingly, Chris agreed to come. Because of his terminal cancer diagnosis, his schedule was wide open, and he could do whatever his strength would allow these days. So, the invitation was accepted! Pat knew in his spirit that God had guided him to that store to have that divine encounter.
With the meeting about to begin the next evening, Pat scanned the audience for his guests. Sure enough, at 7 pm when the meeting started, Chris and his wife, Kellie, were in the audience. At the conclusion of the praise and testimony time, Pat began his message. When he was finished, he gave an intense plea for those who wished to ask Jesus to come into their lives and forgive them of their sins to step out and come forward. During the first altar call and subsequent calls, others came, but Chris stood firm at his seat. Following his usual procedure, Pat gave the last call of the evening to those who still needed to come to be saved. Chris turned to his wife and said, “I think God is calling me!” Kellie said “Go!” Chris stepped out and came forward. He was gloriously saved that night and after some counseling he decided to get baptized immediately. Our Celebrate Recovery Director, Sandy Henson, was prepared! The baptismal was ready and the helpers were in place.
On Thursday evening, July 11, 2024, Chris Swain was born again, and after counseling, was baptized. The next morning, he was scheduled for chemo treatment, but God had another plan. It was on that morning, that Chris Swain received the final call from his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to come home. Chris passed from death to life everlasting and entered the presence of his Savior.
It is absolutely amazing how God used a strange sound in the night to send two of his servants to a store for a divine encounter. God then used that last call of the evening to bring Chris into a relationship with Him a mere eight hours before He would make that final call for him to come home to Heaven. And shortly after this, Chris’ wife also gave her heart to Jesus.
Have you answered God’s call to salvation? If you have not responded to God’s grace, please remember that your eternal destiny hangs in the balance. 2 Corinthians 6:2 warns us that when it comes to salvation now is the accepted day and now is the accepted time.
Those of us who know Jesus as our personal Savior must understand that there are no chance or accidental meetings in our lives. They are orchestrated by our sovereign God to be used to further His kingdom.
Today is the prime time to plant seeds of grace through which God will provide a harvest. Someday we will fully comprehend that those sown seeds will produce graceful results long after the last wave of time has broken on the shores of a measureless eternity.
Isn’t God’s grace a wonderful thing?
Roger Allen Cook
I love to write stories about God’s grace. If you have a story I should consider, please contact me at: Roger.Cook@southside.church. The stories can be found at: southside.church/grace
You are invited to join us at Celebrate Recovery, Thursday night at 7:00 pm. Southside Baptist Church, Warner Robins, Georgia
It is absolutely amazing how God used a strange sound in the night to send two of his servants to a store for a divine encounter. God then used that last call of the evening to bring Chris into a relationship with Him a mere eight hours before He would make that final call for him to come home to Heaven. And shortly after this, Chris’ wife also gave her heart to Jesus.
Have you answered God’s call to salvation? If you have not responded to God’s grace, please remember that your eternal destiny hangs in the balance. 2 Corinthians 6:2 warns us that when it comes to salvation now is the accepted day and now is the accepted time.
Those of us who know Jesus as our personal Savior must understand that there are no chance or accidental meetings in our lives. They are orchestrated by our sovereign God to be used to further His kingdom.
Today is the prime time to plant seeds of grace through which God will provide a harvest. Someday we will fully comprehend that those sown seeds will produce graceful results long after the last wave of time has broken on the shores of a measureless eternity.
Isn’t God’s grace a wonderful thing?
Roger Allen Cook
I love to write stories about God’s grace. If you have a story I should consider, please contact me at: Roger.Cook@southside.church. The stories can be found at: southside.church/grace
You are invited to join us at Celebrate Recovery, Thursday night at 7:00 pm. Southside Baptist Church, Warner Robins, Georgia