The church in ----- need sifting. A thorough conversion is necessary before they can be in working order. Selfishness, pride, envy, malice, evil surmising, backbiting, gossiping, and tattling have been cherished among them, until the Spirit of God has but little to do with them. While some who profess to know God remain in their present state, their prayers are an abomination in His sight. They do not sustain their faith by their works, and it would have been better for some never to have professed the truth than to have dishonored their profession as they have. While they profess to be servants of Christ, they are servants of the enemy of righteousness; and their works testify of them that they are not acquainted with God and that their hearts are not in obedience to the will of Christ. They make child’s play of religion; they act like pettish children. {3T 52.2}

Menigheden i ___ mangler at blive sigtet. En gennemgribende omvendelse er nødvendig før de kan arbejde. De værner om selviskhed, stolthed, misundelse, ondsindethed, onde formodninger, bagtalelse og sladder, indtil Guds Ånd kun har lidt at udrette for dem. Så længe de som bekender sig til at kende Gud og dog forbliver i deres nuværende tilstand er deres bønner en afskyelighed i Guds øjne. De understøtter ikke deres tro ved deres gerninger og for nogle ville det være bedre om de ikke bekendte sig til sandheden end at de vanærer deres bekendelse som de gør nu. Selv om de bekender sig til at være Kristi tjenere, er de retfærdighedens fjendes tjenere; og deres gerninger vidner om dem at de ikke kender til Gud og at deres hjerter ikke er i lydighed med Kristi vilje. De leger med religionen, som var de børn; de handler som lunefulde børn.