We all need to see the vision of the church. The vision of the church is neglected more by Christians than the vision of Christ is. In a doctrinal way Christians may talk about Christ, but not even in a doctrinal way do they speak much concerning the church.
If we read the New Testament carefully, we will see the importance of the church. The New Testament reveals that without the church Christ would be isolated and unable to do anything. The New Testament especially reveals that the church is the heart's desire of God. God's desire in this age is to have the church.
We need to pray that we may see the importance of the church. The work of gospel preaching, the work of edifying the saints, and the work of teaching the Bible should all be for the church. Gospel preaching must not be for gospel preaching—it must be for the church. The edification of the saints must not be just for edification—it must be for the church. Teaching the Bible must not be simply for teaching the Bible—it must be for the church. In God's intention and according to His purpose, all such works are for the church. Even all the saved persons are for the church. We were saved not for ourselves and not merely for our salvation; we were saved for the building up of the church. The church is God's heart's desire.
We need to be impressed with the importance of the church and pray concerning this. Then we will no longer be indifferent about the matter of the church. We will see that what must come first is the church, not the preaching of the gospel, not the edification of the saints, and not the teaching of the Bible. The building up of the church should be our top priority.