Glossary

This is non-alphabetical list of words or phrases used around TEC with some brief definitions. That said, Membership does NOT depend on using these words (!) nor does our worship. These are nicknames, shorthand, intended to be helpful and perhaps even a bit playful.

Evangel: It’s part of our name, and it’s our primary message. Evangel is an English word, that comes from the Latin word evangelium, which comes from the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον, and all of them mean “good news” or “gospel.” Though the word “Evangelical” used to mean something helpful, today it covers a spectrum of churches that put nuts in their soup. But Evangel itself is back to the basics: Jesus Christ died for the sins of all those who believe in Him and He gives them eternal life.

Boom!: Jesus said that the “gates of hell shall not prevail against” the church. Of course, gates aren’t offensive. It’s our worship of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, that pounds the gates of unbelief and rebellion like a battering ram. So when we assemble in and for Jesus’ name, the battering ram makes it “boom!” See more here.

Reformed and still reforming: There may be no more policed term in the Reformed world than “Reformed.” We think being Reformed means that we are Protestants, not Roman Catholics. We thank God for the 16th century Reformers who recognized the ultimate authority of Scripture and the vital truth of justificaiton by faith alone. We also think that those Reformers would want us to keep getting all our theology from God’s Word, not substituting their teaching (as helpfupl as it is!) for what’s in Scripture itself.

Kuyperian: this is a way of thinking—a world-and-life-view—named after Abraham Kuyper who said that “There is not one thumb’s width in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’” We confess that “Jesus is Lord” and that has both eternal and earthly implications.

Dualism: this is a way of thinking—a world-and-life-view—that is the opposite of Kuyperianism, in which spiritual things are good and earthly things are somewhere only between distracting and bad. We aim not to be dualistic.

Dispensationalism: Some people are Dispies and they don’t know it. Other people know about Dispies and think they are the worst. For the time being, we think Dispensationalim is the label that most people use who recognize that God made covenants with the nation of Israel that He still intends to fulfill. In other words, we do NOT think that the Church has replaced/fulfilled God’s promises to Israel. That said, this does not obligate us to support everything the modern state of Israel decides or does.

Jealousable: This is a made-up word, but it’s rooted in Paul’s plan to make his kinsmen jealous by magnifying his ministry to the Gentiles. Those who confess that Jesus is Lord and live for Him will be #BLESSED by Him, and the riches of those blessings will cause many in Israel to turn to the Messiah. So we ought to seek to be more and more jealousable.

Kuyperian Dispensationalism: The best way to be jealousable is to live by faith, right now, on earth, believing that God cares about all that He’s made and will accomplish all that He’s promised. There’s a whole series about being a KuyperDispy here.

Calvinist: As with most of the above, this is a theological nickname, a summary for the doctrine of God’s sovereignty. Most of the time it’s used in reference to election unto salvation, but it ought to remind us that our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.

Trinitarian: The Trinity is one of the most mind-challenging doctrines for man to try to grasp, and yet Jesus required that His disciples be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Trinity belongs at the beginning of a believer’s life and worship. It also has a variety of implications, including the reality that men were made for relationship, with God and with each other. So community is Trinitarian, and ought to act consciously so. Here’s a series about it.

Life on life: This is a phrase about community, a way to summarize how believers live with and for each other day by day. It’s not unrelated to our Life to Life groups, but life on life discipleship and hospitality and ministry can and should be happening all the time. This does not require the elders to make a “program” for it, so, go ahead, get together!

Death brings life: Jesus died so that all who believe in Him could have eternal life. That’s gospel. It’s also a principle that Jesus taught His disciples (John 12:24-25), and it’s a major part of our ministry. None of us die to atone for anyone’s sins, but we do “die” in loving sacrifice for the blessing of others. Clay pots are meant to be worn out in use. See more about this in a four-part series from 2 Corinthians 4.

Truth tubes: Bible-loving, theology-learning Christians are tempted to make being a Christian and even going to church about collecting (and correcting) sentences. Imagine a science lab with rows of thin and tall glass beakers, waiting to be filled up, but disconnected from each other. Believers become like truth-tubes; the more truth the more mature. Instead, believers are like plants in the same garden (see the following quote by John Bunyan), and truth is like rain that waters us all, growing us and connecting us.

Making Marysville a destination and MMGA (Making Marysville Great Again): On one hand this is silly, on the other hand it reminds us that God has put us in this place and for us to serve these actual neighbors. In Western Washington, especially along the I-5 cooridor, there is a lot of junk. We pray that we would be salt and light, and that God would bless our people and their work so that others would be drawn here for encouragement, or even to join us in the project.

All are yours: This is straight out of 1 Corinthians 3:22. It’s apostolic truth given to help divisive Christians stop dividing. They didn’t have to pick a favorite preacher of the cross, they could be edified by all of them. And more than preachers, all are ours, because we are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. This has comprehensive implications for our attitude and activities.