The Beloved Disciple: Following John to the Heart of Jesus

by Beth Moore

John the apostle must have thought he had seen everything. Having been with Jesus all the years of his ministry, John witnessed more miracles than he could count, saw more displays of power than he could comprehend, and experienced more love than he could fathom. And one unforgettable morning young John outran Peter to his Savior’s empty tomb. Just as Christ took John on a lifelong journey into the depths of His love, He will do the same for you. The bridegroom’s love is unmatched and inexhaustible, and He is waiting to lavish it on you, His beloved.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Christian Living, Christian Non Fiction, Christianity, Religion

357 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Beth Moore has written many best–selling books and is a dynamic teacher and a prolific Bible–study author whose public speaking engagements take her across the United States to challenge tens of thousands. Beth is focused on teaching women all over the world and is known and respected wherever she goes. She is a dedicated wife and mother of two adult daughters and lives in Houston, Texas, where she leads Living Proof Ministries and teaches an adult Sunday school class. Beth is one of the best known women in the evangelical Christian market.

Reviews

[Lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book, I was overcome with annoyance at Moore's writing style. But I felt God calling me to continue, so I did, teeth tightly clenched. Little did I know that exactly halfway through the book, I would be wowed by one of her particularly deep insights, and hooked for life! This is now one of my most favorite books. I'm rereading it now, two years later, and all the insights are falling afresh. Lesson learned: never judge writers by their style before I've finished what they've written. I never know how much wisdom and insight they have to offer until I've read to the end. I am so glad - so unbelievably glad - that I listened, and finished this book. I'm hoping to one day take part in a study on John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, using it.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read a Beth Moore book and I'm starting to think her style just isn't for me. I read several chapters before realizing that what irritated me was how much she interjects personal opinion into biblical study. A lot of meandering thought about what she finds interesting, wonders about, etc. I think I'm just more interested in concrete fact vs an authors personal journey.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me nearly two years to finish this (and to be honest I have a few pages left.) I've wondered why that was the case when I enjoy Beth Moore and have read so many other Christian non-fiction books in between.

The last section on God's Revelation to John showed me - she writes from the depths of Scripture and where God has taken her. You cannot rush through the deepest truths there are. This is more than an overflow of what God has taught and been in her life; Beth invites you to experience God richly and fully through time with Him and study of His word. I'm excited for a new year in a season of life with more time to do that again.

The walk through the New Testament with the view of John's life was incredible.

[Lady Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this is my last Beth Moore book. She constantly veered away from the purported character study of John into her own musings, personal experiences and life application questions. Having given up on her character study of David, I should have known better. I know many women are encouraged by her ministry, and I have enjoyed her teaching videos, but her books read like edited teaching video transcripts and are not for me.

[Stephanie Ciccarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I wanted to have a closer relationship with Jesus. Seeing Jesus through the eyes of the beloved disciple was breathtaking. Beth Moore did an excellent job of presenting John's Gospel, letters and Revelation in a way that helped me to go deeper in my faith, affirm my faith and to know the heart and mind of Christ better than ever than before.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

could not finish. so boring.

[MD · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good in that I felt closer to John but I swear if Beth called me "Beloved" one more time, I was about to barf.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have preferred more biography and less devotional, but it was a good book.

[Faith Farris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it for all the reasons other reviewers seem to hate it. I personally enjoyed Beth's personal opinions and story. Those are the things that made it seem homey and inspiring to me.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a disconnect with Beth Moore books, at least her books that have been a Bible study. Had I done the study that this book was based on I would have loved it. But as a book, either as a stand alone or as a supplement to the study, it just doesn't work for me. I don't know why. This has happened before.
The material in the book is good. There is lots of research that has gone into the book. It covers not only the gospel of John, but of Johns letters and Revelation.

[Nicole N. (A Myriad of Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my. I've tried so hard to get through this book. I stopped for weeks at a time and then started up for a few days only to stop again. I don't what why I exactly I dislike this book.

John's books are some of my favorite among Scripture so I was excited to see this book available for free on Amazon Kindle. I've never read Beth Moore before so this was my first experience with her. I dislike her writing style so much. I also think she beats around the bush so much. I felt as if this book wasn't even about John. Where is the in-depth detail? I'm tire of hearing bless this and bless that!

Also this book felt extremely scattered. Perhaps that just me and my need for order. There was no cohesive timeline. Moore jumped from book to book and it really just bothered me.

Like I said before, I really wanted to like Mrs. Moore. Maybe I'll try again with another book but at this point, I just don't know.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses on John, one of the twelve disciples. By studying what he wrote (the gospel, the letters, and Revelations), we get to know the man and how he viewed the events around him.

I enjoyed the book. It increased my understanding of John, his times, and the writings of John.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find Beth Moore irritating, but I keep reading her stuff because sometimes it's really good despite her being really annoying (Believing God is a perfect example). This book just wasn't good enough to overcome how irritating I find her personally. It wasn't bad, just wasn't one of her best.

[Christa Cordova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way Beth Moore writes and her insights in this book are awesome. I prefer her Bible studies to her books, in general, but this is a great book to dig into John and his relationship to (and experiences with) Jesus.

[Salvador Vivas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hay cosas buenas en este libro, pero conforme avanza, parece que a Beth le urgía terminarlo. Pintaba a ser mejor.

[Amberinhonduras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great study into the life of John. There's some quirky and sometimes laughable creative writing along the way but I love how relatable she makes herself to those struggling with doubt and past failings.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was not my favorite and I did audio.

[Richard Kuhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first Beth Moore and it most certainly won't be my last. I enjoyed this on so many levels, but two deserve praise; content and style.

In terms of content, one knows John as a person and his trials and victorys much better after studying this book. Going through The Son of Thunder's writings in the New Testament scene-by-scene, made me understand so much more than before as to why and how his writings evolved. Just a few of the subjects where I gleaned treasures full of life-long and changing scriptural information:

Disciples never bragged about themselves when writing even though they knew they were changing religion for their day.

How the Holy Spirit comes with specific purposes and obtains results and his power to accomplish things.

Her explanation on Jer 29:11, which basically is God needs our past to make our future

Her outlook on what I'll call John's silent years in Ephesus while James,Paul and Peter were getting press all over the region.

Her explanation and insights on the seven churches in Revelation and how they relate to us individually today.

What our song is described in Revelation as well as our seal and our mark.

The difference between curse and seduction. Moore explains through John that we as believers cannot be cursed by Satan, only seduced.

There is so much more in terms of content that needs to be read.

In terms of style, Moore is easy to understand. Instead of going through each of John's writings verse by verse, she attacks it by scene by scene and not in chronological order. This way of Bible study definitely makes it easier for the student to understand. She relates the scriptures sometimes to her own life so we can relate them to ours. I love the fact that every point Moore made in the book is backed by scripture and she gives the references every time.

I'll finish by saying this; I love reading Christian books by women for women as the principle audience, as this book is intended. Not only does it help me individually understand and appreciate women better; but we are the bride of Christ collectively. Perhaps it's time we better understand what that bride is!

This book is most definitely worth the investment in terms of dollars and time. I will refer to it often and I'll be getting more of her biblical studies.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

CH 1: Be completely honest, just between God and you, who have you discovered that you aren't? And who had you discovered that you are? ARE NOT: self sufficient; independent of God; In control. ARE: child of God; family caregiver; dwell deeper with Christ.

CH2: YHWH was life-provider, sustainer, Sovereign Creator of all things, to have little thought of God was to have little thought at all.

CH3: Stuck in a rut? Bored with routine? Follow Christ, never boring, not on your life!

CH4: Jesus walked up to the four fisherman and called them to follow Him, without delay. Christ was unique even before they knew He was God.

CH5: The mere presence of Jesus caused the man to cry out. Jesus commanded the demons to come out of the man; Christ commanded the spirit to be quiet.

CH6: Honestly, I want a solitary place. Alone with Jesus. Just for a moment. To sit beside Him and allow me to share what has momentarily captured HIs attention- like a beautiful view of the ocean.

CH7: Anything we are, and anything we have, that is whiter than snow comes from Christ alone. I have sought forgiveness from those GOd has brought to my mind. No one except Jesus,are whiter that anything in the world.

CH8: The primary way He equips us for our tasks is to reveal Himself to us. If I want to serve Christ, don't just get busy. Get to know Him intimately and I will have a head-on collision with my calling!

CH9: He gives us a task or assigns us a difficult season, every ounce of our experience is meant for our instruction and completion if only we'll let Him finish the work.

CH10: Jesus lived for one purpose alone: to do the will of His Father. Jesus is the precise image of His Father, who also feels it. We are not wrong to feel. We are wrong to disobey.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Christian devotional is about the Apostle John, one of my favourite Bible characters. It begins by giving some background into his life; it had not previously occurred to me that he was most likely the youngest of the original disciples.

The bulk of the book looks at John's writing: the fourth Gospel, the letters, and the book of Revelation which he wrote in exile, when he was much older. There's plenty of insight, and it's a useful guide for anyone wanting to know more about this inspiring man.

However I found the style of Beth Moore's writing a bit irritating in places. There were a lot of cliches and informal slang, some of which made no sense at all to someone not brought up in the same culture. I also found it annoying that the author kept referring to the reader as ‘Beloved’, which felt over-familiar. In places the book felt like the transcript of a talk rather than something intended to be written.

Recommended if you want to know more about John the Apostle and the books he wrote, in a structured way, if you don’t mind the informal and familiar style.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I liked it but it took me awhile to get through. I appreciated her look at John and it did give me some different thoughts about him to consider. I gather that Moore has been through some difficult times in her past but I have no clue what any of those are. So, at times, I got a little put off by her constantly reminding us in this particular book of her imperfect life. I completely get that she's been through bad times and can really relate to a lot of people (and many people need that), and I feel she is genuine in her joy of Christ bringing her through it all for the better and redeeming her. However, it is like she wants to keep reminding us that she's not perfect. For example, the whole part about her not feeling worthy to wear white on her wedding day and taking a bridal portrait years later just felt really weird in this book. I do understand the context in which she did it but sometimes I found myself forgetting that I was reading about John.

[Katie Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Beloved Disciple.

Even though I bought it thinking it was more of a commentary on John the Beloved (it was more devotional-style), I still very much enjoyed it and learned some things about one of the Sons of Thunder. Beth Moore always impresses me with her way of synthesizing her biblical knowledge with her vivid imagination. Doing this allows biblical characters to be more human and relatable. She paid close attention to key events in John’s life like his brother’s death, adopting Mary as his mother, trusting Paul..she offered a lot of how-do-you-think-John-would-have-felt questions that again, forces us to give back his humanity and read the Bible with a child like imagination and emotion. She goes through his gospel, epistles, and the visions he received in Revelation. Beth Moore is a gem to the world and a cool follow on Twitter. 😎

[Laurinda Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beth Moore's teaching and books always challenge and inspire me. This one was a slow go because of the lack or organization. It seemed to be a very personal book for Beth, which is fine, but for the reader it is frustrating. She tended to jump around, which sorely taxed my very organized brain. However, I persevered because I really did want to learn more about the Apostle John. That information was scarce, but she delved into the his epistles, the Gospel of John, and the book of Revelation. There were many excellent nuggets to be found and in the end I can recommend the book. The reader should prepare for a rather long trip around the barn, but the Truth gleaned is valuable.

[Mike Studdard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book without much research. I thought it was an book about the apostle, John. It is about John but most of the book are thoughts or devotional type material that the author added as she reports the facts. I at times waded through the devotional material to find the story of John. For this reason the book is a longer read than I bargained for. However, I did like much of the devotional material and insights.

I tried to go through and resurrect John's story but finally gave up and went to other sources to piece together his "story." One section on the supper of the lamb, while imagined by the author, was particularly moving for me.

Three stars...and a good read.

[Jacob Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Beth Moore examines the Apostle John. She traces the man John through what we know about him from the Bible and early Christian writings from the early church fathers. I enjoyed the book, but it was definitely written by a woman for women. It tended to be very emotionally driven which may really connect with some people but not as much with me. Also, some of her insights were based on conjecture. Ie. This could have been what John was like based on this, so I'm going to teach it as if it was. Most of these conjectures were well thought out and very probable and applicable, but it was still a bit much for me. It was a bit long, but I did enjoy it.

[Kathleen McKim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this must have been written after the Bible study. I was hoping it would be a little more historical in nature about the life and times of John. There was more of a tone of spiritual application in spots, which was nice, but not really what I was expecting from a "book." Still, I did learn some new facts about John, the Seven Cities of Revelation, and I am planning my next trip to Turkey around a visit to Ephesus and Patmos. Her last line was inspired. I cried.

[Janice Palko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book very much, and loved the insights Beth Moore revealed about the apostle John. As a writer, I especially appreciated how John was selected to record Revelations. As the last standing apostle, John must have felt at times forgotten by God, but God was preparing him to write the final chapter of the Bible.

[Porsche Vanderhorst · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intellectual and intimate study

This was a fascinating journey into the life of John. And even as I studied about someone else, it still felt personal. What I also loved was that Christ was elevated, so that in studying about a disciple of Christ, I didn't miss out on learning more about Christ.

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book. I thought it was going to be a biography of the disciple John, but the details of John’s life were covered very sparingly. I also thought the author was very repetitive in discussing her thoughts on John and his gospel. As the author says about her writing “so many words, so little said.”

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this Bible study, my first Beth Moore one, before Christmas. The lessons I learned have stayed with me. The group I was with is also doing Breaking Free, which I'd love to do, but I don't think I have the time in the Spring. So, that one will have to wait...