If the name of Jesus was actually Yeshua, why don't we use His real name?

Yes, he went by the name Yeshua when He was here on earth. When I speak about Him in English, I use the name Jesus because that is what people recognize. When speaking in Hebrew I use Yeshua. There is no J in Hebrew.

When I first went to a Messianic congregation, about 3 years after I was saved, I was very confused by the intermingling of Hebrew and English. Saying Yeshua and Shaul and Elijahu, and throwing in a Hebrew word here and there trying to sound holy, spiritual and original. For me, and also every other Hebrew speaker I have ever run across, we actually find it very difficult, inappropriate and confusing. Thinking in Hebrew is very different from thinking in English. So when you blend the two, for someone who knows both languages it is simply awkward and more difficult to communicate. I actually asked if we could speak in either English or Hebrew. They were not very happy with that request.

Consider when the Apostle Paul was writing his letters. He used a Greek equivalent that was recognizable by speakers of Greek. I consider Paul to be a very significant person in the development of the Church. My own personal objective is to be as clear as possible in my communication. The names we use are not that important, only the person we are referring to by using a name. It is the person, not the name that is important to me. That is the focus of ministry I am involved in; teaching others about the person who is our God.

Aaron Budjen