"Fixer Upper" star Chip Gaines has responded to a lawsuit brought against him by his former business partners by quoting a Bible verse about overcoming darkness.
On Twitter, the Christian HGTV star quoted John 1:5: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Gaines added, "Fyi: Ive had the same cell # 15 yrs.. same email for 20 yrs. No one called or emailed? 4 years later 'friends' reach out via lawsuit.. Humm".
The message was posted after a lawsuit was filed by Gaines' former Magnolia Realty partners, John L. Lewis and Richard L. Clark. According to the suit, filed Wednesday, Gaines urged Lewis and Clark to sell their ownership stakes at Magnolia Realty - just two days before he announced the launch of "Fixer Upper", his wildly popular HGTV show.
According to the suit, Lewis and Clark sold their stakes at $2,500 apiece to Gaines on May 6, 2013. By withholding information about the show's premiere to Lewis and Clark, the suit says Gaines committed fraud. The two are demanding more than $1 million and their ownership stakes back.
Gaines' attorney, Jordan Mayfield, dismissed the lawsuit in a statement, saying, "We are confident that these claims will be found to be meritless, and it is disappointing to see people try to take advantage of the hard work and success of Chip and Joanna Gaines."
This is not the first time the reality star has referenced his Christian faith when responding to controversy; last year, Chip and his wife, Joanna, came under fire from the radical left for attending an evangelical church opposed to same-sex marriage.
After remaining silent regarding the controversy for over a month, Chip issued a simple but powerful tweet one Sunday morning: "In times of trouble.. you'll find the gaines family at church."
He later wrote in a post titled "Chip's New Years Revelation", "Jo and I refuse to be baited into using our influence in a way that will further harm an already hurting world."
Chip said he and his wife are all about trying to help people come together, even those who disagree. He explained that he and Joanna feel called to be "bridge builders" and that they want to inspire others to "lovingly disagree." He also urged people not to buy into a popular "lie" that is oft-times perpetuated in culture.
"Listen to me, we do not all have to agree with each other," he continued. "Disagreement is not the same thing as hate, don't believe that lie."
In a separate blog post titled "Joanna's Look Back on 2016", Joanna said that she and Chip are grateful for God's faithfulness and protection - no matter what obstacles they may face.
"We've always strived to serve and love people from all walks of life, regardless of who you are or what you do," she wrote. "We are in the restoration business. Our job is to find beauty in all things, whether it's an old house or someone's story."
She added, "We are thankful for this ride of a lifetime- we feel God has been with us on every mountain top and in every valley. Grace upon grace He has given us."
