Alleluia Ministries church has broken its silence after receiving widespread criticism.
The church has been making headlines after a video of an apparent resurrection surfaced on social media.
In the statement, the church denies that Pastor Alph Lakau purportedly raised the man from the dead but rather was praying for him.
They also encouraged those who wish to interrogate the video and testimony to do so with the intention of seeking the truth and that they are guided by the facts.
Check out the press release below .
"27 February 2019
To whom it may concern
STATEMENT
Alleluia Ministries and its head Pastor, Pastor Alph Lulou, have over the last few days been subjected to what can only be described as an unwarranted and sustained attack fuelled by bias, speculation and, as will be demonstrated below, a blatant refusal to accept certain irrefutable facts
2. At the outset both Alleluia Ministries and Pastor Alph want to make it abundantly clear that they remain steadfast in their belief that through the power of God people can not only be healed but they can also, certainly, be resurrected from the dead. God's power, simply put, knows no bounds.
3. Whilst this should be the celebrated reality the unfortunate truth is that miracles which are delivered through the power of God are now no longer celebrated for what they are, being divine interventions, they are, conversely, in fact attacked and ridiculed along with those who believe that through the grace and power of G. anything is possible. We are accused of being charlatans and those who share our belief in the divine power of God are labelled naive.
Our detractors will stop at nothing to:
4.1. dissuade you from accepting that not everything has a rational explanation;
4 2. dissuade you from accepting that there is a God who desperately wants you to live your lives according to His teachings; 4.3. convince you that to have faith is to be naive.
The above is clearly evidenced by the response to the video footage taken, and the resurrection testimony shared by Pastor Alph, on Sunday 24 February 2019
6. To a society that seems to want to desperately enforce a reality that God can be put in a box and be brought out for the occasional wedding or baptism, and that we should keep our faith to ourselves, hidden from the rest of the world, we are and will continue to be seen as a disruptor and a threat Since time immemorial, threats of this nature have been dealt with by attempting to discredit the source and by peddling a different
7 version of the facts. Whilst this methodology has not changed what has changed is that technobgy now allows us to revisit, and fact check what actually transpired.
So, let us for a moment focus on the facts: -
7.1. at no stage did Pastor Alph claim that he resurrected the person shown in the video, who was identified by his family members as Elliot;
7.2. from the video footage it is clearly stated that when the mortuary vehicle arrived at the Church premises there was already movement in the coffirr,
7.3. prior to even praying over Elliot, Pastor Alph states that Elliot is in
fact breathing;
7.4. the facts surrounding Elliots death were present. to Pastor Alph by Elliot, family (as seen in the video footage) and these were then reported as such;
7.5. during the service Pastor Mph clearly states that the extent of the
miracle needs to be verified and that such verification should
include'
7.5.1. interviewing Elliot's doctor;
7.5.2. interviewing everyone in the mortuary.
8 These facts have been plainly evident for all to see since the video footage was released yet they are disregarded as they do not suit the narrative that, among. others, the press want to convey a. a more convenient truth that many would rather want to hear.
9. In addition none of the media sought comment from either the Church or Pa.or Alph prior to initially publishing their biased and misguided views and, in fact, the Sowetan newspaper had the audacity to state that the Church had made a 1.1-Turrf when the Church respond. to a seri. of quesbons that had been posed to the Church after the Sowetan's article (in r.pect of which no questions were posed or response sought). N.urally this response would have differed from the Sowetan's own biased views. This certainly was no 1_,Turif.
10. This ts not the fir. time that the Church and Pastor Alph have had to deal with m.ia, individuals and entities (which reference will now include the funeral parlours who have .ated, wrongly, that the Church
was involved in a complex scheme relating to the hiring of vehicles) who have thought that the Church and Pastor Alph would stand idly by and allow their faith to be vilified. To this end we confirm that we will, this week, be taking action, as we have in the past, to ensure that the appropriate sanctions are meted out to those who have sought to defame the Ministry and Pastor Alph and attack our faith.
11. Finally, both the Chu. and Pastor Alph wish to make it clear that -
11.1. they had no knowledge/dealings or interactions with Elliot and his family prior to their arrival at the Church on 24 February 2019. In addition, and in order to dispose of the incorrect reports that a camera man depicted in certain photos with Pastor Alph on social media is in fact Elliot (who has now allegedly been arrested) this is not the case and the camera man (who is not Elliot) is still employed by the Church;
11.2. they have not engaged with any funeral parlours as is alleged.
12. In conclusion we wish to encourage: -
12.1. all of those who share our belief in an almighty and all-powerful God to remain strong and confident in your faith;
12.2.
encourage all of those who share to interrogate the video and testimony to do so with the intention of seeking the truth and that you be guided by the fa. as depict. in the video a. not the versions being peddled by our detractors." Source: https://mandynews.com/alleluia-ministries-speaks-out-on-resurrection-video/ 
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