A pastor in Ferguson, Missouri, is crediting prayer after a group of young men entered the church building, attempting to commit robbery, but were met by a congregation of caring believers.
Marquaello Futrell, pastor of All Creation Northview Holiness Family Church and a former police officer, said it was the Holy Spirit and his past experience in law enforcement that helped him recognize from the pulpit the alleged robbers entering the worship service, according to KSDK-TV.
Futrell told the local news outlet he saw a man walk in, carrying two bags and begin to question the director of the church’s children’s ministry. The pastor said he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and was certain something was about to unfold.
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Shortly thereafter, a group of four masked men walked into the church building.
“Me, being a former police officer, I immediately noticed their waistbands,” Futrell said. “I’m like, ‘There’s something there.'”
The pastor moved forward with his planned message, until about 54 minutes into the service, when he approached the young men sitting in the back of the sanctuary. He asked the group who sent them.
Rather than condemning them or acting in fear, Futrell encouraged his fellow congregants to praise God the men were in the service. That came after one of the members saw one of the men drop a gun.
“I said, praise God that God sent them in here,” the pastor said. “That what the devil meant for evil, you messing with a Marquaello Antonio Futrell.”
“Don’t you play with me,” Futrell continued. “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 those comments, the minister and other church members encircled the men and prayed for them.
“You stepped foot on All Creation parking lot,” he told the group after they prayed. “You encountered the move of the Holy Ghost and I just believe that you all will never be the same again.”
Authorities with the Ferguson Police Department later confirmed the four men left the church building in a black Dodge Charger. The incident is still being investigated.
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