Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with You [Paperback]

John MacArthur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2006

Contrary to popular belief, we do not have to be perfect to do God's work. Look no further than the twelve disciples whose many weaknesses are forever preserved throughout the pages of the New Testament. Jesus chose ordinary men - fisherman, tax collectors, political zealots - and turned their weakness into strength, producing greatness from utter uselessness. MacArthur draws principles from Christ's careful, hands-on training of the original twelve disciples for today's modern disciple - you.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John MacArthur is the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, president of the Master’s College and Seminary, and featured teacher with the Grace to You media ministry. In more than four decades of ministry, John has written dozens of bestselling books, including The MacArthur Study Bible, The Gospel According to Jesus, and Slave. He and his wife, Patricia, have four married children and fifteen grandchildren.

Product Details

• Paperback: 201 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson; annotated edition edition (May 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785288244
• ISBN-13: 978-0785288244
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Widely known for his thorough, candid approach to teaching God's Word, John MacArthur is a popular author and conference speaker and has served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969. John and his wife, Patricia, have four grown children and fourteen grandchildren.
John's pulpit ministry has been extended around the globe through his media ministry, Grace to You, and its satellite offices in seven countries. In addition to producing daily radio programs for nearly 2,000 English and Spanish radio outlets worldwide, Grace to You distributes books, software, audiotapes, and CDs by John MacArthur.
John is president of The Master's College and Seminary and has written hundreds of books and study guides, each one biblical and practical. Best-selling titles include The Gospel According to Jesus, Truth War, The Murder of Jesus, Twelve Ordinary Men, Twelve Extraordinary Women, and The MacArthur Study Bible, a 1998 ECPA Gold Medallion recipient.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#39 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#96 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

#39 in Books > Religion & Spirituality

#96 in Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh and delightful read. February 10, 2003

By Archimedes Tritium

Format:Hardcover

OK, name the 12 apostles. Chances are you can't. Disconcerting, no? These twelve, who most Chistians think they know, took the teachings of Jesus and changed the world by establishing the Christian church.

They were chosen from among hundreds of "disciples" (meaning learners or students) of Jesus to be apostles: "messengers, sent ones". Who were they, why were they chosen, and why were they so successful?

It's important to consider who Jesus did NOT select for his inner circle. He chose no rabbis, no scholars, no one from the religious establishment who could have given him an inside track to power and authority. Instead, he picked a ragtag bunch of people who couldn't comprehend the power of God, struggled with their own sins, wrestled with the cost of committment and too often, to put it plainly, could be quite dense as to what was going on.

Jesus taught them Scriptures and theology. He taught them how to pray, forgive, and serve one another with humility, gave them moral instruction, spoke to them of things to come, and used them to heal the sick and do other miracles. Three of them were given a brief glimpse of His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.

In all, they had about 18 months of training and were then sent out on a mission too vast for any reasonable expectation of success.

This book examines everything known about these quite ordinary people who achieved the extraordinary. It's a fresh and delightful read.

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Read. Takes some license July 23, 2008

By J. A. Pritchett

Format:Paperback

I enjoyed John MacArthur's Twelve Ordinary Men despite some reaching on his part. The Chapters on Peter, John, and Judas Iscariot were mostly excellent. This is primarily because there is no shortage of information on these men in the Biblical Record. The problem I found was that even with those three and especially with the lesser know Disciples, MacArthur assumes some things that may be true (we cannot know for sure), and then refers back to the assumptions as fact. Despite that issue, there is a ton of good information in this book and it is one that I recommend. Just remember that a lot of the details we won't really know until we meet these men on the other side.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book December 27, 2004

By David S. Mohler

Format:Hardcover

This is the kind of book that reads well in bed at night. It is calm, interesting and generally informational. it is not a classic MacArthur book dealing with a hard-hitting theological issue.

In fact, this book is the first one by MacArthur that actually reads into scripture a certain quantity of "dot-connected" conclusions. For example, the personalities of the apostles are described by MacArthur where there is no true description revealed in scripture.

The chapter on Peter is fantastic, as is the one on Judas Isacriot. However, MacArthur's treatment of Nathaniel was my favorite.