Twelve Ordinary Men Workbook, Revised and Updated: How Jesus Shaped His Disciples for Greatness and What He Wants to Do with You came out from HarperChristian Resources in June 2025. It runs 144 pages. John MacArthur died the following month, on 14 July 2025, which makes this one of the last things published under his name in his lifetime.
The most important thing to know before you buy
This is a workbook. It is the companion to MacArthur’s book Twelve Ordinary Men, not a replacement for it. On its own it is thin, because it is designed to sit next to the fuller treatment. Product pages do not always make that clear and people order the workbook alone and then wonder why it feels sparse. Buy both, or buy the main book first and add the workbook if your group wants structure.
What it covers
The study works through the twelve disciples, taking the better documented ones individually and grouping the ones Scripture says little about. Peter gets the most room, which is fair since the Gospels give him the most. James, John, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael, Matthew, and Thomas all get treatment, and Judas is handled rather than skipped.
MacArthur’s thesis is the whole point and it is a good one. These men were not impressive. They were not scholars, they were not saints in the plaster sense, and the Gospels are remarkably candid about how badly they behaved. Christ built the church on them anyway. For a man who suspects he is too ordinary or too far gone to be useful, that argument does real work.
Each session anchors in specific passages and includes questions for reflection and application assignments. That structure is what the workbook adds over the main book.
Doctrinal note
MacArthur was a cessationist and held firm views on a number of secondary matters. This particular study is mostly biographical exposition of the Gospels and does not spend its time on those questions, so readers from other traditions will find little to argue with here. If you know MacArthur’s broader positions and disagree with some of them, that will not get in the way of this book.
Readability
Straightforward. MacArthur wrote plainly and the workbook format keeps sessions contained. No seminary background needed. It suits a men’s group meeting weekly, and it works for solo study if you are disciplined about actually writing the answers rather than reading past them.
Who it is for
Men’s groups looking for a study with a clear spine and a manageable length. Individuals who want structure rather than open ended reading. Anyone who has read Twelve Ordinary Men and wants to slow down and work it through properly.
Bottom line
Solid companion study on a subject that lands hard with men. Just do not buy it by itself and expect a standalone book.
Find the Twelve Ordinary Men Workbook on Amazon.