Armed robbers who allegedly stormed into a church in Missouri were reportedly foiled when the pastor and congregation prayed for them.
Former police officer Marquaello Futrell, pastor of All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church in Ferguson, Missouri, said that the alleged would-be robbers were apprehended by the Holy Spirit during the Sunday morning service on Feb. 12, according to local KSDK.
The incident broke out when a man carrying two bags entered the church and started asking questions of the children's services director.
"I immediately just had the hairs [stand] on the back of my neck. I’m like, 'OK, something’s about to happen,'" Futrell said.
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Four young men in masks then entered the church.
"Me being a former police officer, I immediately noticed their waistbands. I’m like, 'There’s something there,'" the pastor said.
Another member of the church later witnessed one of the individuals in the group dropping a firearm, according to the outlet. Instead of causing panic among his congregation, Futrell continued with the scheduled service and promptly notified the police.
Futrell also instructed church staff to ensure the safety of the children in the congregation and to record the faces of the men as potential evidence.
The pastor ultimately approached the men who were sitting in the back, telling them he still had "a cop anointing," according to a Facebook Livestream of the service.
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"Don’t you play with me," he told the young men. "I still got a cop anointing and I still know what’s going on, and I still know what’s about to happen. God’s about to change the plot of the enemy. Lift your voices and shout unto God for what he’s about to do."
After they agreed to receive prayer, the congregation prayed for the young men for several minutes.
"See, that wasn’t so bad, brothers," Futrell told the men after the church had prayed for them. "Thank you all for letting us pray for you. And we’re thankful that for whatever reason, the Lord let you all come here. That when you walked on the ground, you walked on Holy Ghost turf."
"You stepped foot on All Creation parking lot. You encountered the move of the Holy Ghost and I just believe that you all will never be the same again," the pastor told them.
The Ferguson Police Department later confirmed that the four men left the church in a black Dodge Charger with tinted windows, according to the local outlet. The investigation is reportedly continuing.
"I just heard the Lord say, ‘This is what happens when you illegally trespass,’" Futrell said. "That when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard. The flood will never be greater than the standard."
