Well done and thank you

I was once soundly rebuked by a member of the congregation for daring to ask the gathered flock to give someone a round of applause because they had given a great service to the church. I was told his ‘reward was in heaven and he didn’t need us to make an unseemly noise in the church’.

Youth Leaders Dave Fenton

However, I have been in youth meetings where if I had heard ‘give him a round of applause’ one more time I would have felt fairly ill. But I wonder if some of us have gone to the other extreme. Paul seems to be encouraged when in Romans he says he wants to see this group of believers that he ‘may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith’ (Romans 1.12).