"We should not come together to remain silent; those only are remembered of the Lord who assemble to speak of His honor and glory and tell of His power; upon such the blessing of God will rest, and they will be refreshed. If all moved as they should, no precious time would run to waste, and no reproofs would be needed for long prayers and exhortations; all the time would be occupied by short, pointed testimonies and prayers. Ask, believe, and receive. There is too much mocking the Lord, too much praying that is no praying and that wearies angels and displeases God, too many vain, unmeaning petitions. First we should feel needy, and then ask God for the very things we need, believing that He gives them to us, even while we ask; and then our faith will grow, all will be edified, the weak will be strengthened, and the discouraged and desponding made to look up and believe that God is a rewarder of all those who diligently seek Him. EW 115.1"
"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name."
Both passages emphasize the importance of speaking about God and remembering Him, leading to blessings and remembrance by God. The EGW passage expands on the specifics of such communication, but the core theme aligns with Malachi 3:16.
"Some hold back in meeting because they have nothing new to say and must repeat the same story if they speak. I saw that pride was at the bottom of this, that God and angels witnessed the testimonies of the saints and were well pleased and glorified by their being repeated weekly. The Lord loves simplicity and humility, but He is displeased and angels are grieved when professed heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus suffer precious time to run to waste in their meetings. EW 115.2"
"Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."
The EGW passage directly addresses the issue of pride and humility in the context of church meetings, echoing the principle found in 1 Peter 5:5, which emphasizes humility and warns against pride.
If the brethren and sisters were in the place they should be, they would not be at a loss to find something to say in honor of Jesus, who hung upon Calvary's cross for their sins. If they would cherish more of a realizing sense of the condescension of God in giving His only beloved Son to die a sacrifice for our sins and transgressions, and of the sufferings and anguish of Jesus to make a way of escape for guilty man, that he might receive pardon and live, they would be more ready to extol and magnify Jesus. They could not hold their peace, but with thankfulness and gratitude would talk of His glory and tell of His power. And blessings from God would rest upon them by so doing. Even if the same story were repeated, God would be glorified. The angel showed me those who ceased not day nor night to cry, “Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.” “Continued repetition,” said the angel, “yet God is glorified by it.” Although we may tell the same story over and over, it honors God, and shows that we a…
"And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."
Both passages address the idea of expressing praise and honor to God. Luke 19:40 suggests that if people don't praise God, even inanimate objects would. EGW expands on this by stating that if believers truly understood Christ's sacrifice, they would be compelled to speak of His glory, even if it means repeating the same message.