"***** The Lord wants men who see the work in its greatness, and who understand the principles that have been interwoven with it from its rise. He will not have a worldly order of things come in to fashion the work in altogether different lines from those He has marked out for His people. The work must bear the character of its Originator.— Testimonies for the Church 7:209 . GW 463.1"
"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"
The EGW passage discusses the importance of the work bearing the character of its Originator, which thematically aligns with the idea in Matthew 7:16 that one can discern the nature of something by its fruits. The work should reflect its divine origin.
"***** In establishing the work in new places, economize in every possible way. Gather up the fragments; let nothing be lost. The work of soul-saving must be carried on in the way that Christ has marked out. He declares, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” [ Matthew 16:24 .] Only by obeying this word can we be His disciples. We are nearing the end of this earth's history, and the different lines of God's work are to be carried forward with much more self-sacrifice than has yet been manifested.— Idem, pages 239, 240 . GW 463.2"
"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Ellen White directly references Matthew 16:24 in this passage.