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Jan 22, 2008

Tom rated it:

This was a great book describing the lives of each disciple based on scripture. Dr. John F. MacArthur stuck almost exclusively with scripture and mostly relied on the gospel accounts to describe the disciples. This does provide a firm foundation, but in many cases gives very little understanding into the disciples.

In some cases there are disciples who are only known because of their name being mentioned in a list. At this point some loose connections are made to essentially creat More...

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Apr 16, 2008

Carolyn rated it:

Once you get past the rather dry introduction chapter, things got pretty interesting. Must admit to have a marked lack of knowledge on the disciples and was always embarrassed by my lack of being able to name them. Now realize I couldn't name them b/c several of them are hardly mentioned. In any case, I learned alot - mainly his point was that the disciples were a group of really common men (thus the title) with strengths and flaws just like the rest of us. My favorite quote was on the section a More...

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Nov 10, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

There seemed to be too much speculation and too little known facts about the majority of the disciples, but that didn't stop the author from going on and on -- I believe this book would have been better leaving out the speculation and sticking to facts. This would have meant the book would have been half it's length. Also, I noticed he used a verse to "prove" the death penalty was okay. I had to read this book for church, otherwise I wouldn't have made it through the first chapter. More...

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Dec 22, 2011

Brenten rated it:

I’m something of a fan of John MacArthur’s writings and teachings… sometimes, i think the books may tend to beat a dead horse in a sense, proving and reproving the same points again and again, but the points are usually worth taking note of and he generally writes about topics that are relevant and engaging…

Which brings me to this book… I’ve wanted to read Twelve Ordinary Men for quite a while and i’m glad that i finally got around to it… obviously, MacArthur deals with the twelve apos More...

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Jan 31, 2012

Ben rated it:

I guess I'll add a star. 2 seemed kind of harsh.

Well, I had written this before and then it got lost. Anyway, I read it for a 3 day teaching I was doing on discipleship. It was good to keep things in mind and perspective. It's helpful in that there is a constant reminder that God DOES NOT choose the best people, but picks ordinary individuals and shapes their lives as a result of encountering Christ. Reminder of our lives as being grace-driven not performance-driven.

Over More...

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Dec 09, 2008

Paul rated it:

This book highlights each of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus to follow him and how each one of them was "ordinary." Yet in their ordinariness, Jesus changed them and formed them into the church leaders that they eventually became. It also served as a warning of how hard-heartedness and pride, as in the case of Judas Iscariot, can cause our downfall. As far as the content of the book goes, I found it interesting how John MacArthur could create a picture of each of these apostles More...

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Dec 20, 2007

Chrissy rated it:

This book gave such amazing insight on each disciple by piecing together all the verses that talk about each person. It gives great encouragement to all of us in our faith since it is absolutely amazing that Christianity spread at all with such disciples as these. I loved this look at the character and personality of the disciples.

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Jun 16, 2010

Lu rated it:

Interesting how we all have personalities that Jesus can deal with, with His unconditional love. He created us and still loves us so much that He would do anything for us, obviously since He gave His life, but He even has our picture on his frig and brags about us still!!

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May 20, 2008

Lou rated it:

Jesus didn't choose the wealthiest, noblest, smartest, most religious, nicest, prettiest, or most athletic to be his disciples. He chose from the bottom of the barrel. The ordinary people like you and me. We can relate to all of the disciples in some way.

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Jan 19, 2010

Gerald rated it:

I guess that most students of the New Testament desire to know more about the men that Jesus chose to be his apostles. Mr. MacArthur does a courageous job of making his guesses at filling in the blanks missing in the scriptural accounts. I did not agree with all that he guessed, but I heartily appreciated his perspective and his love for Jesus.

The single 'peeve' was the numerous times when he made comments that began with, "He never..." I believe that the more accurate beg More...

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Jun 13, 2008

Larry rated it:

Great book emphasizing that God chooses the foolish to lead the wise. God's kingdom is an upside down kingdom where the last is first; the servant is the greatest; and you die to live.

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Jan 25, 2008

Mike rated it:

The best book I've read about the 12 disciples. This very biblically based book does an excellent job of showing the character and character flaws on the 12 disciples. I'd highly recommend it.

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Nov 12, 2008

Stacy rated it:

This was my first book by John MacArthur, but it won't be my last. Normally, non-fiction is a very difficult genre for me, and thus I rarely read it. I'm trying to make a concerted effort to change that, at least in some areas (such as this, Christian non-fiction, that interests me!). I've finally found what works for me - reading a non-fiction in conjunction with a fiction book (before I tried to read one or the other, never both concurrently), and reading it slowly. I read this book a coup More...

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Apr 28, 2010

Cliff rated it:

I enjoyed his discussion of the foibles and weaknesses and idiocies and...occasionally strengths of twelve strange men that followed Jesus around for a few years. It is a good reminded of just what a Christian generally looks like. And it's usually as a stumbling idiot and hypocrite who's saving grace is just that. I also like how, in spite of it all, it portrays their love, genuine hearts at the bottom of it all, and what they become through all their stumbles and falls.

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Mar 06, 2011

Philip rated it:

This is MacArthur at his best. While he often struggles in some of his purely exegetical works, MacArthur hits his stride in a more topical work such as this. The book traces the lives of each of the apostles and presents vignettes from various passages of the Gospels, pointing out their unique foibles and passions. The writer also helpfully concludes each apostle with a summary of early church tradition on the remainder of the apostle’s life.

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May 19, 2011

Christopher rated it:

First, I was shocked to discover that Mark and Luke, writers of two of the Gospels were not disciples of Jesus'. Second, this book really brings home the fact that God can and will use an imperfect man such as I. In fact, it seems to be a prerequisite of His that I be as far from perfection as possible, before I can be used of Him. I got a lot of encouragement from this book and highly recommend it for everyone.

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Jan 16, 2012

Rachel rated it:

A great work by John MacArthur! Dig deep into studying the lives of these men - how God/Jesus took 12 ordinary men and how God used them for the glory of His kingdom and for His purpose. :) I learned a lot of things that aren't as easily "spelled out" about the disciples in the Bible as well as a lot of lessons about what God desires of us, His children and how my life can be used for His glory! :D

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Aug 03, 2009

Petunia rated it:

I didn't know much about the 12 disciples of Jesus, and this book tells about each of them individually, and tells their strengths. Like Andrew does not get mentioned much in the Bible, but as brother of Peter, was likely helping Peter a lot of the time, so probably Peter would not have been as effective a leader without his brother supporting him in the background.

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Apr 18, 2011

Miriam added it

This cleared up my confusion about the names of Jesus' disciples. Some of them are only mentioned once or twice in the gospels or not many times. Of course the first famous is called both Simon and Peter, but another Simon is The Zealot; two men named James; Nathanael; and two by the names of Judas, Judas Iscariot, and Judas, pointedly referred to as "not Iscariot" is also called by two nicknames, Labbaeus and Thaddaeus.

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Jan 12, 2012

Crossroads rated it:

When you take a fresh look at the disciples, you'll be faced with a stunning fact: The men the Savior chose were ordinary, hopelessly human, remarkably unremarkable. But they were available and obedient to the Master's call. Under Jesus' teaching and touch, they became a force that forever changed the world.

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Aug 08, 2011

Sean Kahlich rated it:

I loved this book. I love the stories of the disciples, and MacArthur brings a lot of helpful insight into the lives of these men. There are a few personal caveats here and there, but the meat of this book provides valuable information about the men who followed Jesus. It's a great resource for teaching or personal study.

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Oct 01, 2009

James rated it:

I really enjoyed the book (audio) - it was very insightful and helpful. The title is fitting and profound. Christ did not call 12 religious elite or 12 men of greatness but instead used 12 ordinary and fallible men to spread the message of his kingdom. His gospel changed their lives so that they could in turn could use it to changes other's lives. What comes through clearest in this book (other than the history) is the last shall be first and the kingdom will be forwarded through service and put More...

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Mar 14, 2010

Luis rated it:

Great book to read. Gives insightful information in the characteristics of the disciples of Jesus Christ. learned that God doesn't want to make you exactly the same as any other individual, but is in the business of making the christian more like the image if his son Jesus Christ in the heart.

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Dec 13, 2008

Elaine rated it:

Gives an interesting prospective of each of the apostles. as a new christian it was enlighting. Only reason why I didn't rate it higher is b/c I found MacArthur injected a lot of his opinons on things that were unnesseary to the dialogue.

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Sep 27, 2010

Meg rated it:

This was an insightful study of the men who walked with Jesus and just how ordinary they were. It gave me insight into my walk and helped me see that no matter how insignificant people may feel, they can always be used by God.

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Aug 04, 2011

Aaron added it

I didn't read the whole thing. Keeping it handy for whenever I run across specific disciples in Scripture. Good book though...part about Peter and his leadership gifts is very thought provoking.

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May 11, 2011

Kelli rated it:

Speculatory, not fact. I didn't stick with this book, not enough theological thought to it. However, I did like the research overall of each apostle. How they fit with each other and how they didn't.

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Oct 19, 2011

Patrick rated it:

Have to say I appreciate all the research and thought that went into this. It certainly draws out the disciples' character qualities based on NT accounts; qualities worth emulating, for sure. I'm not a fan of what strikes me as the "pyramid-scheme" of relationship with God: i.e. "these people were close to Jesus, but this group was even closer, so God on some level likes them more that than the others..." Maybe it's just me, but I caught whiffs of that every now and again. En More...

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Oct 10, 2011

Read1000books rated it:

An excellent survey of the 12 Apostles: their lives along with very good research on what finally happened to the dozen men Christ chose as the founders of the Church.

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Jul 22, 2011

Deborah rated it:

Let me start by saying that this is NOT a biography of the apostles, It is a Bible study on these twelve men. If you want a biography, you will probably not like this book. If you want a Bible study, this is an excelent resource.

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