The verb “atenizo” can change your day

One of the most important lessons in Bible study is to pay close attention to the verbs in the original language. 

I’m blessed to have some great help with Hebrew and Greek. My husband has a PhD from seminary, but I have a PhT: “Put husband Through” seminary. 

My PhT allows me to ask Jim my questions and he is good to answer! He has a computer program with Greek and Hebrew, and I’m often amazed at the difference it makes to learn exactly what a word meant to those for whom the passage was originally written.

The Greek verb atenizo 

The Greek verb atenizo is used four times in our New Testament. When you see how it is used, it can change your personal walk with the Lord today and always. 

That verb means “to stare intently” or to “look with intent or purpose.” Why is that a powerful verb in the Bible? 

Consider this example. 

You are shopping for a particular shirt in a particular color. You scan the rack filled with shirts, but your eyes are drawn to those that are the color you want. So, you look at each of those shirts until you find . . . the PERFECT shirt, in the perfect color, made in your size. 

You pull that shirt off the rack, reach for the tag and atenizo at the price. You look at the tag with significant interest and focus.  

Now that you understand the meaning of the Greek verb, how was atenizo used in the Bible? 

The crowd atenizo-ed Jesus 

Jesus went to his hometown, Nazareth, on the Sabbath and entered the synagogue there. By this time people would have begun to hear and speculate about whether or not Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus took the scroll of Isaiah that day and read this passage to the people gathered in the synagogue:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18–19).

Everyone listening knew those words to be a Messianic prophecy from Isaiah. Luke 4:20–21 says, “And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ’Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” 

The phrase “the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him” is atenizo

Jesus had just told them Isaiah’s words were fulfilled now. If you remember the rest of the story, you will know that it ends with Jesus being taken to the side of the mountain to be thrown down and stoned by the crowd. After all, this was just “Joseph’s son.” But somehow Jesus passed “through their midst” and went away (v. 30), fulfilling the Scripture that “no prophet was acceptable in his hometown” (v. 24). 

Imagine the people in Nazareth staring at Jesus, whom they considered to be Joseph’s son, and wondering if he was their long-awaited Messiah. 

One day Jesus will return and everyone will atenizo Jesus. 

On that day, there will be no doubt. 

The Mount of Ascension 

Acts 1 tells of the crowd gathered on the Mount of Ascension. Jesus had just issued the Great Commission in Acts 1:8 and then he ascended to heaven. 

Acts 1:10–11 says, “And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’” 

What did it look like to see Jesus ascend into heaven? 

Those on that mountain were staring with great focus as they watched a miracle. But, they were told not to remain on the mountain. Their atenizo was to move from gazing into the heavens to focusing on those in the world who needed the gospel. 

The temple gate called Beautiful 

I learned the verb atenizo when I was scheduled to teach this powerful story from Acts 3. There are times in ministry when my eyes are drawn to someone in a crowd, a class, a restaurant, or any other place. I find myself looking at a person, but it goes beyond just noticing their presence. Sometimes a glance becomes atenizo because it is a calling, or, as I like to call it, “an appointment from God.” 

Shortly after Pentecost, Peter and John were walking to the temple for a regular time of prayer. The temple gate called Beautiful was the most common entrance to the synagogue because it was large, ornate, and located on the eastern side of the wall. 

Scripture tells us “a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate” (Acts 3:2). On this particular day, “Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, ‘Look at us’” (v. 4).  

Peter and John, and very likely Jesus, had seen this man every time they went to the synagogue. He was placed at this gate “daily.” Yet, on this day, when they saw the lame man, they did more than just “see” him. 

Peter and John’s “direct gaze” is atenizo. They looked at him with intention and purpose. They had received the Holy Spirit in their lives, and they saw this man with a sense of calling. Peter took the man’s arm and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (v. 6). 

After the man was healed, he was “walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him” (vv. 8–10).  

Jesus had probably passed this man each time he entered the synagogue, just like Peter, John, and thousands of other Jewish men. But this day was different. Today, Peter and John would display the power of God through the gift of his Holy Spirit. The disciples atenizo-ed the man and his life was forever changed

The Christian movement was dramatically changed that day as well. Jesus had saved this man’s healing for his disciples. That day many people witnessed the fact that there was power in the name of Jesus and that power now dwelt in those who believed. 

Stephen saw Jesus too

The final time the verb atenizo is used is at the stoning of Stephen. Scripture says, “But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’” (Acts 7:55–56).  

Stephen, filled with God’s Spirit, told the truth about gazing into heaven, atenizo, and seeing the glory of Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Stephen saw Jesus the way we should see Jesus today: glorified in heaven and standing to do his Father’s will. 

Who needs to see Jesus today? 

The words gazing into heaven are represented in the Greek word atenizo. It’s the same word for the way Peter looked at the lame man and the way the disciples watched the ascension. It is also the word that describes how the people of Jesus’ hometown watched him as he preached. 

It is likely the word that describes how the entire world will be transfixed when Jesus returns. That day some will atenizo with joy, awe, and gratitude; others will fix their eyes with fear and sorrow.  

Whose eternal atenizo can be changed and blessed today because of your personal witness? 

One day the Holy Spirit will cause you to atenizo a person. You will look at him or her and listen to them with a sense of calling. You will stare at them as you pray for God’s direction. God will cause you to look intently, to atenizo, at people for the rest of your days on earth, if you are Spirit-led and willing to serve. 

Will you offer your eyes to God for his holy purpose? 

That prayer will change your life, and, quite likely, many other lives as well.

Is it good or is it God?

I worked through Henry Blackaby’s classic study, Experiencing God, as a young pastor’s wife and it made a tremendous difference to my spiritual life. Truthfully, it didn’t happen right away. God allowed some tough circumstances to use the spiritual truths I had learned as a way to remodel my spiritual choices.

In one chapter, Blackaby wrote, “We don’t choose what we will do for God; He invites us to join Him where He wants to involve us.”  

I’m not sure if I thought that message was for other people or if I thought being married to a preacher meant I had already done that, but I heard those words a couple of years before I actually received them as truth for my own walk with the Lord. 

That one lesson, once learned, changed the rest of my spiritual journey

A good life isn’t necessarily a godly life 

I really wanted to be a good preacher’s wife, a good mom, and a good person. I thought if those things were my goals, at least I would be going in the right directions. I stayed busy working hard and volunteering for service. I tried to attend as many things at the church as I could, believing that to be my ministry. I was faithful to go to a ladies Bible study each week because I knew I needed to learn more Scripture. I went to bed tired but feeling like God must be pleased with what I was attempting to do. 

Then we moved to Atlanta and I found I was very allergic to some things out there. That October, allergies led to sniffles, then a bad cough, which I was “too busy” to worry about. I had promised to step into my son’s third-grade class one day so his teacher could go to her daughter’s school program. I taught the class and was walking home when I realized I didn’t have enough air to get up the hill.  

I eventually made it, called the doctor, and asked for a prescription. He told me to get to the hospital as soon as I could. As it turned out, I had the same pneumonia that had killed Jim Henson a few months earlier. The doctor told me I probably only had a few days left before the medications would not have worked. 

It took a month to get well but, as it turned out, it was one of the best months of my life. I learned a lesson that has carried me ever since. 

Our spiritual journey is not measured by the good things we decide to do for God and others. Instead, it is about knowing God’s plan and calling and living in obedience to that. 

The knowledge that makes all the difference 

I sat in my recliner for almost a month trying to allow my lungs to heal. Atlanta was beautiful in October. The leaves rained down with brilliant color, and I watched them and thought about God. After a lot of thinking, praying, and listening, I realized that this life of busy attendance wasn’t because I was obeying God’s expectations. I was honoring others’ expectations instead. 

I was grateful to God for saving my stubborn life. I watched the beauty of this world float by outside my window and realized that all I thought about serving God hadn’t worked out very well. I could have died and left Jim with two young boys to raise. I could have harmed others while all the while I thought I was “helping.” 

At the end of a month of recuperation and spiritual regeneration, I finally came to understand that Blackaby’s words weren’t just a lesson to hear. I needed, as Blackaby would say, to adjust my life to what God had planned it to be. I made a commitment to God to do that. 

If you want to experience God 

I pulled my Experiencing God workbook off of the shelf and reread it. I realized that I had written the right answers on the lines and had added important thoughts from others in the margin. But I just hadn’t made the choice to allow the knowledge to alter my choices.  

  • I needed to experience the Holy Spirit in my life.
  • I needed to hear the Bible speak God’s voice into my life.
  • I needed to tell some people no in order to tell God yes.
  • I needed to learn to notice what God was doing in the world and “get in on it.”
  • I needed to obey God’s word so that I could know God and completely trust him as my King.

That is just some of what the Lord taught me during those days and months that followed. Sanctification takes a lifetime, but it only begins when we realize it isn’t about what we do; it’s about allowing God to do his work in and through our lives. 

If we want to experience the reality of God, we must step fully into the knowledge that only he is God and everything else is only an attempt to become a god in our lives. (By the way, that is the work of Satan.) We don’t know how to serve God and others until we come to learn the value of simply being available to God so that he can serve others through our life as we are yielded to his Spirit. 

Is it good or is it God? 

The lessons I learned during that season of my spiritual life led me down roads I would never have imagined.  

  • Eventually, I knew God wanted me to teach a ladies Bible study.  
  • Eventually, I came to recognize the silent but audible voice of God’s leadership.
  • I began to do some public speaking based on what I had learned.
  • Eventually, I wrote a book and titled it Content to be Good, Called to be Godly.
  • Now I am serving at Denison Ministries as the Lord continues to lead.

Please know, I don’t say any of that from a place of pride. The list above is what God accomplished, not me. I would have filled my life with good things that I wanted to do for God. I learned that my life was simply to be a conduit for what God wanted to do through his Holy Spirit within me. 

Now, I just want to share with others one of the most important lessons God ever taught me. Truthfully, it took a bad bout of pneumonia to get me to listen. Maybe this blog post can save someone else from learning this the hard way. 

Is your life filled with good things, or is your life a list of things God has done through your obedience to his Spirit-led call in your life?  

Blackaby wrote, “We don’t choose what we will do for God; He invites us to join Him where He wants to involve us.” 

Are those words something you believe or the truth you live? 

Your answer will make all the difference in your spiritual journey. 

Midland: A people, more than a place

My husband was asked to be the interim preacher for First Baptist Midland in 1988. I remember the first weekend I decided to go with him. 

Ryan was two and Craig was three months old. I packed clothes, diapers, bottles, toys, the portable crib, and plenty of snacks for the six-hour road trip to West Texas. After we passed Fort Worth, the landscape flattened into an unending panorama of dirt and mesquite bushes. Abilene came and went, and then the big question became, “How many miles until the next Dairy Queen?” 

Six hours later, in the middle of the almost-nothingness of West Texas, a city skyline arose on the horizon. I use that term loosely. I grew up in the Los Angeles area. For the most part, one city just ran into the next with no gap in between. 

Let’s just say West Texas was a new experience for me. 

I remember distinctly saying, “Why would anyone want to live here?” 

About eight months later, the moving van, filled with our household furniture and “stuff,” pulled up to our new home—in Midland, Texas. 

It’s the people, more than the place 

It’s a long story, but I chose to travel to Midland with Jim almost every weekend of his interim time there. The boys were great travelers, and the six-hour trip was actually pretty good time together. (With a few exceptions, of course!) 

So, every weekend we made the six-hour trip on Friday afternoon and returned late Sunday night. 

Why would we pack a toddler and a baby into the car like that? To summarize: we fell in love with the people of First Baptist Church in Midland, Texas. They quickly became friends. The city quickly became familiar. And, a year later, Jim became the pastor of FBC, and Midland became our home. 

When we heard the news . . . 

Jim and I watched the news of the crazy man with a gun randomly shooting people in Midland and Odessa. He didn’t know them and he didn’t care to know them. He just picked up a gun and shot people who could have been our friends. They might have been friends to him, if he had just given them a chance. 

Jim and I sat stunned, scared, angry, shocked, and saddened, wondering if we knew any of the people. 

Then we realized it didn’t matter if we knew them. We still grieved for all those families. 

Paul’s words, Midland’s hope 

I have a lot of blog readers who live in Midland. But, for all of us, this is Paul’s truth and encouragement to be the people we are called to be, even when others choose crazy

Paul was wrapping up his letter to the Thessalonians when he wrote a message I think he would write to Christians in Midland and Odessa today. He said, “Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:8–11). 

How do Christians “stand” firm in the craziness? 

  • Be sober-minded. We often think of “sober” as not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. But, maybe it means more. We shouldn’t be controlled by an influence that isn’t of God. We shouldn’t be controlled by our anger, our frustrations, or even our desire for justice in this world. How do we achieve “sober”?
  • Protect your hearts. It will be difficult not to “feel” anger, rage, and even fear. Paul advises we protect our lives by a “breastplate” of Christian faith and love. We protect our hearts (this meant the source of our motivations in Paul’s day) with God’s armor. Christians should be motivated and outwardly covered by our faith and love, not something less.
  • Protect your minds with a helmet. Our hope of salvation is the way we protect our thoughts. This will be so important going forward. Causing fear is a weapon in our world today. Choosing not to fear is how Christians fight back. We have hope, every day. The point of our lives isn’t earth; it is heaven. Your eternity is guaranteed. So, as the hymn says, “Whom then shall I fear?”
  • Strengthen your community of faith. I know a lot of the Christians in Midland, Texas. God will redeem the awful for his greater good. People who fear will be watching the people who are able to stand firm. As Paul said, “Encourage one another and build each other up.” I know these Christians in Midland, and I know Paul would say, “Just as in fact you are doing.”

Christian amidst craziness 

Craziness. There is never a time that Christians have a greater opportunity to stand out. Sadly, there is never a time that Christians have as much permission or temptation from the world to stand with the world. 

Be part of the redemption, and even the revival, that God plans to bring out of the horrible craziness that happens in our world. That is how we can live in this world but not of it. 

“Encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Midland and Odessa have some of the best and strongest Christian people I know. I’m so, so sorry there was a shooting and innocent lives were lost. It wasn’t fair or even comprehensible to a normal mind. 

Let’s pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who will be God’s workmanship, wearing God’s armor as their witness. I know them—and they are some of God’s finest soldiers. 

Dear friends in Midland: We are praying for you while the world is watching you be the people God has equipped you to be. Stand firm. As my husband and your former pastor Jim would say, “God will redeem what he allowed, for his greater good.”