For someone who is brand new to the community, the Messianic terminology can often be confusing. Here’s a quick reference for common names and definitions used in the Messianic community.

Messianic – Is used to refer to the community of both Jews and Gentiles that celebrates Yeshua as their Messiah, while staying true to the commandments of the Torah and celebrating the Biblical feast days, which happen to be celebrated in Judaism.  

Yeshua – Means "Jesus" in Hebrew. Yeshua never heard himself called "Jesus" in his life, as that is an English translation of his name in Greek, Iesous. The Hebrew roots to Yeshua’s name is "salvation."

Messiah, or HaMashiach – Is used instead of "Christ".  Messiah is derived from the Hebrew word Mashiach, which means "annointed one."  Christ, however, is derived from the Greek word Cristos, which also means "annointed one."  Using Messiah, as opposed to Christ, symbolizes that Yeshua was the Jewish savior that  came as a savior for the Jews, not just the Gentiles (as the Greeks once thought).

Congregation – Is used instead of "Church." A congregation is a community in which Messianic believers worship and celebrate the Shabbat and feast days. A church have a negative vibe associated with it, as that is where forms of paganism are celebrated in the Christian faith and anti-Semitism arose from.  

Believer – Is used to designate someone who has accepted Yeshua as the Messiah of the world. Some tend to think that if a Jewish person is a "believer," that they have converted to Christianity. This is entirely inaccurate. Jewish believers retain their Jewish identities and culture and celebrate Yeshua in a very Jewish fashion. Labeling a believer as "Christian" brings many negative conotations with it, as the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries by Chrisitians in the name of "Jesus Christ."

Covenant – Is used instead of "Testament," referring to both halves of the Bible, the Old Covenant (in Hebrew, Tenach), and the New Covenant (in Hebrew, Brit Chadasha). Literally, covenant means "promise, agreement or contract."

Immersion – Is used instead of "Baptism" because a baptism brings along memories of forced conversions of Jews by Christians. An "immersion" happens when a Messianic believer is olld enough to accept Yeshua as their Messiah and they freely are immersed into living water in a Messianic Mikvah.