Lukau: we prayed in thanks for his life

Pastor Alph Lukau has been criticized for performing a 'resurrection'

JOHANNESBURG - The Johannesburg pastor at the centre of the controversial 'resurrection' video said he knew that the man in the coffin was alive, but he continued to pray for him in thanks to God. 

The video, which went viral on social media, shows Pastor Alph Lukau praying over a man's body in a coffin. 

"You can see he is breathing ...He died since Friday. He was in a mortuary ... Rise up!", Lukau commanded in the video. 

The man was then seen sitting up in the coffin, as if he had been raised from the dead. 

In an interview on PowerFM Lukau said he knew the man was breathing but prayed over the coffin, rejoicing that the man was alive once again. 

"The mere fact that this person was alive nor not alive does not stop the prayer to go on ... I can safely say that I did not pray to resurrect the person. I do not want to take that credit."

Lukau says while he's never before had someone come to the church to be resurrected before, his church has helped unborn children.

"We have had many cases, especially of a child - a woman with a child who has no heartbeat any more .... and we pray and send the person back to the doctor, and the doctor comes back with a report that the child is well."