Jesus Christ trained twelve ordinary men who were barely able to read and write, who had typical jobs like fishermen, who were very arrogant, and transformed them into his most extraordinary, most spiritual mature servants of all time. A. B. Bruce herein gives us how Jesus accomplished this so that we can apply the same insights into our lives and achieve the same success for ourselves and help others to do the same. If we are seeking greater spiritual depth and stability in our lives today, this book is for us, for it will mold and fashion us into a vessel that Jesus can use. Follow Bruce through the Gospels as he explores the twelve men Christ selected as his disciples, which will help us uncover how we can transform our human imperfections into serviceable instruments to help others.
'The Training of the Twelve' (by A. B. Bruce( provides a classic study of Jesus' teaching and training of his disciples. Using a loose "harmony of the Gospels" approach, Bruce pulls from all four gospel narratives to show how Jesus discipled His disciples. The book's greatest strength is that it is not as a how-to book on discipleship or a 12-step program for leadership development. Instead, Bruce exegetes the passages showing what Jesus was doing with his disciples and leaves contemporary application to the reader. Bruce's book, which was first published in 1871, is a valuable study for any Christian who serves in any form of leadership capacity or who seeks to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Its 31 chapters provide an absorbing commentary on selected passages of the four Gospels, following Jesus ministry and teaching among his disciples in chronological order. Although the writing style may take a bit of getting used to for modern readers, the result is well worth the effort. The table of Scripture references discussed in the book also makes it a useful reference workâafter it has been read from cover to cover. Theologically sound and biblically true, this book comes highly recommended to anyone desiring to obey Jesus's command to make disciples.
With many ministers and religious organizations already using modern techniques found in management books, why not go straight to the source? A. B. Bruce's 1877 work The Training of the Twelve shows the methods Jesus used to lead his disciples and teach them to spread His Word. Though written more than a century ago (and based on Gospels two thousand years old), the ideas in this volume apply as surely today as they did in 1877, and church leaders (or those aspiring to be church leaders) will find this an invaluable resource. Learn... [ how Jesus chose and trained his disciples [ how and what he taught them about evangelism and prayer [ the nature of true holiness [ humility and self-sacrifice [ and much more.
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1908 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VIII. FIRST ATTEMPTS AT EVANGELISM. Section I. -- The Mission. Matt. x.; Mark vi. 7-13, 30-32; Luke ix. I-II. The twelve are now to come before us as active agents in advancing the kingdom of God. Having been for some time in Christ's company, witnessing His miraculous works, hearing His doctrine concerning the kingdom, and learning how to pray and how to live, they were at length sent forth to evangelize the towns and villages of their native province, and to heal the sick in their Master's name, and by His power. This mission of the disciples as evangelists or miniature apostles was partly, without doubt, ' an educational experiment for their own benefit; but its direct design was to meet the spiritual necessities of the people, whose neglected condition lay heavy on Christ's heart. The compassionate Son of man, in the course of His wanderings, had observed how the masses of the population were, like a shepherdless flock of sheep, scattered and torn,1 and it was His desire that all should know that a good Shepherd had come to care for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The multitudes were ready enough to welcome the good news; the difficulty was to meet the pressing demand of the hour. The harvest, the grain, ready for reaping, was plenteous, but the laborers were few.1 In connection with this mission four things call for special notice: The sphere assigned for the work, the nature of the work, the instructions for carrying it on, the results of the mission, and the return of the missionaries. These points we shall consider in their order, except that, for convenience, we shall reserve Christ's instructions to His disciples for the last place, and give them a section to themselves. * (
The Training of the Twelve tells us in detail how Jesus chose and trained the twelve apostles, imbuing each with the knowledge and instruction that would become the founding wisdom of Christianity. We find in this book a detailed and intensive Biblical biography, with chapters dedicated to each of the twelve. The methods which Jesus Christ uses in selecting his disciples is examined, as we witness the various episodes in his existence. Bruce's narrative is chronological, and it is useful for the reader to have a Bible to hand to better understand and comprehend the lessons present in the text. A. B. Bruce also includes soundly reasoned passages on the identity of three unnamed apostles. Alexander Balmain Bruce worked for decades in the Free Church of Scotland, preaching and studying Bible lore. His commentaries were popular during his lifetime, with translations made to other languages - notably, he was among the few Scottish Biblical theologians to gain the approval and respect of German scholars.
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
