Bible Study & Scripture

Twelve Ordinary Men

by John MacArthur

In Twelve Ordinary Men, John MacArthur makes a stunning and deeply encouraging claim: Jesus did not choose the most gifted, the most educated, or the most religiously polished men to carry the gospel to the world. He chose twelve ordinary men — men marked by doubt, pride, impetuosity, political zeal, and even betrayal — and transformed them into the pillars of the church. MacArthur's central thesis is that God's pattern has never changed: He delights to display His glory through weak and unlikely vessels, so that no one can mistake the power as belonging to the messenger rather than to the message. By examining each apostle's personality, background, failures, and transformation, MacArthur invites readers to see that the same Jesus who made fishermen into world-changers is still in the business of making something extraordinary out of ordinary lives.