52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fresh and delightful read., February 10, 2003
This review is from: Twelve Ordinary Men (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.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book, December 27, 2004
This review is from: Twelve Ordinary Men (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.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
BRILLIANT! Which disciple are YOU?, January 3, 2004
This review is from: Twelve Ordinary Men (Hardcover)
These is a truely fabulous book! I was always interested in the twelve disciples, and wanted to know more about them. I would watch documentaries and such about the 12 on the history channel, discovery channel, ect. They were all cool and informative, but they didnt give me the information I wanted- so i went to the internet, and found this book. Immediently, i was drawn to this book and ordered it. Well, Ive had it for 3 days and im already finished. This book knocked my socks off! It takes each disciple and tells about thier personality, how they viewed Jesus, how they are presented in the bible, what they did after the resurrection and how each of us can relate them. This book really brought the disciples to life and made me want to meet them now. I cant wait to go to heaven and meet Peter & John. Also, the books take the time to let us know more about the disciples who alot of people arnt really familiar with (like Simon the Zealot, James the less, and bartholomew (nathaniel)) In the reading, you can almost always see alittle bit of you in each of them. I can most identify myself with Thaddeus, or John. Please get this book- You will NOT regret it!!
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