Many of you at Battle Creek are living without prayer, without thoughts of Christ, and without exalting Him before those around you. You have no words to exalt Christ; you do no deeds that honor Him. Many of you are as truly strangers to Christ as though you had never heard His name. You have not the peace of Christ; for you have no true ground for peace. You have no communion with God because you are not united to Christ. Said our Saviour: “No man cometh to the Father, but by Me.” You are not useful in the cause of Christ. Except ye abide in Me, says Jesus, ye can do nothing—nothing in God’s sight, nothing that Christ will accept at your hands. Without Christ you can have nothing but a delusive hope, for He Himself declares: “If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” {5T 49.1}

Mange af jer i Battle Creek lever uden bøn, uden tanke på Kristus og uden at ophøje ham for dem omkring jer. I siger ikke noget der ophøjer Kristus; I gør ikke noget der ærer ham. Mange af jer er virkelige fremmede over for Kristus, som om I aldrig havde hørt hans navn. I har ikke Kristi fred; for I har ikke godt grundlag for fred. I har ingen fællesskab med Gud fordi I ikke er forenet med Kristus. Vor Frelser sagde: »Ingen kommer til Faderen, uden ved mig.« I er ikke til nytte i Kristi sag. Hvis I ikke bliver i mig, siger Jesus, kan I slet intet gøre i Guds øjne, intet som Kristus vil godkende fra jeres hænder. Uden Kristus har i ikke andet end et falsk håb, for han selv siger: »Hvis nogen ikke bliver i mig, kastes han ud som en gren og visner; man samler dem og kaster dem i ilden og de brændes."