Is Yeshuat Yisrael a synagogue or a church?
The term synagogue is a Greek word used in the Apostolic scriptures (called the New Testament) in James 2:2 (although most modern translations substitute other terms, such as assembly or meeting) and simply means a gathering or congregation. The word ekklesia (usually translated “church”) was used by the early Messianic Jews to designate their meetings as part of the congregation of Israel. So referring to our congregation as a synagogue takes us back to our very roots. Ultimately, we recognize that Yeshuas kehelah (congregation) consists of people, not buildings, and so as a congregation we constitute one visible manifestation of Yeshuas body. We are both a synagogue and a church all in one. Why do we call Jesus Yeshua? Yeshua is Hebrew and the given name of our Messiah. Since we are worshiping in a Hebrew context, it only makes sense to use the Hebrew name of our Messiah. The Hebrew word for Messiah is Mashiach, so we often refer to Jesus Christ (Christ is a Greek word which means an
