Twelve Ordinary Men Workbook, Revised and Updated: How Jesus Shaped His Disciples for Greatness and What He Wants to Do with You

by John F. MacArthur Jr.

If Jesus Used These Men . . . He Can Also Use You

They weren't saints. They weren't scholars. They weren't even religious sages. What is most amazing about the disciples is that Jesus ever selected them at all. Among them, a handful of common fishermen, a hated tax collector, and an impulsive political zealot.

The Twelve Ordinary Men Workbook brings you face-to-face with the disciples as you've never seen them. You'll put yourself in their shoes. You'll understand their doubts and hopes. And you'll hear the power of Jesus' words in a whole new way. The message is clear. If Christ can accomplish His purposes through the lives of common men like these, imagine what He has in store for you!

Based on John MacArthur's bestselling book of the same name, this revised and updated edition of the workbook includes biblical studies of each disciple, thought-provoking questions, and life application assignments.

Lessons

The Men Jesus Outstandingly The Unlikely The Apostle of Small The Apostle of The Apostle of The Bean The Guileless OneMatthew and The Tax Collector and the TwinJames (the Less), Simon (the Zealot), and Judas (not Iscariot): The Not-So-Well-Known The Traitor

143 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 10, 2025

About the author

John F. MacArthur, Jr. was a United States Calvinistic evangelical writer and minister, noted for his radio program entitled Grace to You and as the editor of the Gold Medallion Book Award-winning MacArthur Study Bible. MacArthur was a fifth-generation pastor, a popular author and conference speaker, and served as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California beginning in 1969, as well as President of The Master’s College (and the related Master’s Seminary) in Santa Clarita, California.

Reviews

[Panda Incognito]

This workbook goes with the classic book "Twelve Ordinary Men" by the same author. You can use it as a study guide along with the book, or use it as a standalone. This workbook clearly explains the content and the teaching throughout, so you can get a lot out of this on its own.

This is rigorously Bible-based, and it shares helpful perspectives on each of the disciples, highlighting important takeaways from each disciple's life. The author shows both positive and negative examples from each man, and includes application questions for the reader to consider.

I appreciate that even though this focuses on men from the Bible, the book offers clear encouragement and takeaways for all Christians, male or female. This book isn't all about being a good man, but is about what it means for anyone to follow Jesus. I would recommend this to new believers who are learning more about Jesus, and to people who have been following Jesus for a long time, but would benefit from doing a deep dive into the lives of the disciples. This is a really great study workbook for personal use or in a group.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine, and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Sue]

As noted in the title, this workbook, based on the book published in 2002, is revised and updated. It is an outstanding look at who the disciples actually were, not the saints as they are usually represented, but as real men who lived flawed lives as described in the Bible as well as what can be interpolated based on knowledge of the times.

Along with terrific insights, the workbook is filled with relevant scriptures to read and questions to answer. The questions relate to information on Jesus’ teachings, the responses of the disciples, and how it applies to the reader. If you take the time to thoughtfully consider your answers, you will get even more out of the study.

This is a wonderful workbook that I would recommend to everyone.

Family friendly.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperChristian Resources. I received a complimentary copy of this workbook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

[Michaela Bush]

I read the original Twelve Ordinary Men book by MacArthur some time back, so I was interested to see there was an updated and expanded workbook being released. I appreciated the original book, but this workbook really sheds a lot of insight, personal introspection opportunities, and ways that we can learn from the disciples and apply it to our day-to-day life on mission for Christ and growing the Kingdom. I sincerely enjoyed going through this workbook and will be recommending it to just about anybody who wants to step up in their faith. He breaks the disciples down into understandable, relatable examples and challenges readers to see themselves--both the positives and negatives--in each disciple, not to mention ways we can serve God just as He created us to be, just like He did these ordinary disciples. Easy five stars!



**I read an advanced edition; opinions are my own!

[Book Bench]

The ten lessons in this workbook walk you through the disciples one by one from Peter the unlikely leader to Philip the bean counter to Judas the traitor. Each lesson pairs biblical study with discussion questions and life application assignments, which makes it easy to use in a group setting. Some leaders wished for fuller leader notes, but the questions spark lively conversation. It's a natural fit for adult Sunday school classes or small groups studying the Gospels.

[Doug Yonce]

Great leaning tool for the serious Bible student or the beginner as well. Stories and backgrounds help the reader learn what God can and will do in our lives if we allow Him. I recommend a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily provided an hour review.

[B]

A Bible study for anyone wanting to know more about the men with whom Jesus surrounded himself. None of us is perfect, disciples included. And yet, we are loved. This is a wonderful study guide! Perfect for the individual or group setting.