Kent Stainback, an elder at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas, shared during his sermon on Sunday (Sept. 29) that John MacArthur, pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church (GCC), commented on the recent scandal surrounding Dr. Steven Lawson.
On Sept. 19, Lawson, who was Trinity Bible Church of Dallas’ lead pastor, was “removed indefinitely from all ministry activities at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas” in light of an “inappropriate relationship that he has had with a woman.”
In a social media post last week, GCC elder Phil Johnson said that the affair “was a 5-year relationship with strong romantic overtones. Both parties insist no literal fornication was involved, but their tie to one another was adulterous in spirit, if not in fact.”
Johnson said that the woman “is in her late 20s” and that Lawson confessed to the relationship only after the father of the woman “threatened exposure” if Lawson didn’t come clean.
Johnson has since deleted the social media post.
Trinity Bible Church of Dallas Elder Preaches Patience and Trust in God Following Steven Lawson Scandal
While preaching out of Psalm 25, Stainback encouraged Trinity Bible Church to trust God and be patient because God’s timing is perfect—especially when it comes to the situation the church is dealing with at the moment.
“If I have a weakness, it’s patience,” Stainback said. “So I’m talking to myself [about] all of this first, but this is the one I need.”
“Now this waiting is not giving up and throwing in the towel, but it’s waiting with an eager expectation to find out what God’s going to do through the difficulties you’re doing all you know to do, but waiting on him,” he continued.
“Why is David [in need of] patience? Because he knows his natural instinct to have these immediate answers,” Stainback said. “I want to know something now, and I’m certain David is dying for the Lord to tell him. It’s his natural inclination to ask, ‘How did this happen? How long will it be before it’s over? Just clear it up for me now, and I’ll feel so much better.'”
RELATED: ‘I Did Not See This Coming’—Al Mohler Speaks to Dr. Steven Lawson’s Moral Failure During SBTS Chapel
Stainback expressed that what David is going through in Psalm 25 “really struck a chord” with him.
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