It All Began with a Simple Conversation  

One day Jemal* and two of his friends were sitting in a local cafe. He’d finished his university classes for the day, and they were enjoying a coffee together before heading home. Their waiter was an older man, unusually kind and friendly. He introduced himself as Murat* and they started chatting. They soon learnt he was a follower of Jesus and regularly studied the Bible. Over the next couple of weeks, whenever Murat saw them, they chatted more.  

One day, Jemal asked to meet Murat on his own.  

“I’ve always wanted to read the Bible,” he commented.  

“It’s easy,” Murat explained, “If you gather your friends, I’ll show you a way you can Discover God together.”  

Soon after that, sitting in a café with Jemal and his friends, Murat opened the Waha app, a straightforward guide to Discovery Bible Study (DBS). A fourth friend joined the group at this time.  

Right there and then they worked through their first DBS. They loved it.  

“Can we do this again?” one of the friends asked.  

“Of course,” Murat smiled, “Let’s meet again next week. But soon you won’t need my help,” he hinted.  

The first week Murat facilitated the DBS, the next time he let Jemal do it. After that he sat at a different table in the cafe, checking to see they were doing the DBS correctly, then started meeting one-on-one with Jemal after each study for coaching. Over time, each of the friends became followers of Jesus. Murat baptised Jemal, who in turn baptised his three friends. Moreover, they each went on to start DBS groups of their own, some of which have reproduced to the fifth and sixth generation. This could be the beginning of a movement.  

How Murat Became a Disciple Maker  

Murat is an ordinary middle-aged man. He’s retired from full-time employment and receives a pension but still has to work part-time to make ends meet. He’s struggled with diabetes for years and recently developed some other serious health issues. On the surface, he certainly doesn’t look like someone who’d be the catalyst for more than 60 Discovery Bible Study groups in a least reached nation. But God uses the humble; Murat now coaches DBS network leaders across three major cities and in many towns and villages.  

But how did he become a disciple maker?  

It started in 2019 with a single click. Murat was scrolling on social media when he came across an advertisement about the life and teachings of Jesus in the New Testament. He began messaging with the page and learning directly from the bible passages and was identified as someone with a high potential to share and start groups. The team connected him with Andrew*, a gospel worker based in the same city, who began meeting with him one-on-one to read the Bible. Murat soon committed to following Jesus.  

Even before Murat came to faith, he was sharing what he was learning with others. Andrew showed him how to do DBS with his friends, and later he successfully started some groups. However, they tended to fizzle out after some months and for the most part did not reproduce. Andrew and Murat tried not to feel too discouraged. They wondered what they could do to see more sustainable and reproducing groups.  

Andrew had heard from an OM worker about the Waha App that they recently helped launch in the local language. This tool enables anyone with a smartphone to facilitate a DBS. It also provides a clear path for discipleship from a seeker to an equipped disciple maker or even leader through curated Foundational Sets like ‘Creation to Christ’ and ‘Being a Disciple of Jesus’ (10-15 lessons each), as well as Topical Sets such as Hope, Love or Dealing with Loss (8 lessons each).  

Murat had many problems, including issues with anger and unforgiveness. Slowly, however, through discipleship and discovering God for himself, transformation began in his life. Something shifted, and this is when he started to see multiplication. Murat used Waha to teach people how to discover God and, because of the clear path in the app, he could easily help others to lead groups by themselves. It provided the direction Murat and many others needed to lead DBS groups with confidence and the aim to multiply – to make disciples who make disciples.  

Mobilising His Own Family  

Murat’s cousin, Yasin*, was a believer long before Murat. However, he was no longer connected with any community, and his spiritual growth had stalled. When he heard about Murat’s coming to faith, he was surprised. But when he heard about the network of DBS groups, he was shocked – and fascinated.  

Yasin wanted to know more, so Murat travelled several hours to visit him. He showed him the Waha app and they did a study together. Now about 25 groups have started through Yasin and his friends, some of which have multiplied to the third generation.  

The Network Today  

At the time of writing, Murat has at least 70 DBS groups connected to him. Most of them are smaller groups with four or five people. Some are students, others are factory workers or housewives. They meet in houses, cafes and workplaces. Despite their diversity, the thing they have is common is their DNA of “Hear, Obey, Share”. That is, they read the Bible and hear God speak to them, obey his Word, and share what they learn with people in their relational network. This naturally leads to the multiplication of DBS Groups and disciples.  

These DBS groups provide people with the chance to discover the truth about Jesus in a trusted community. In a country where millions have not heard the gospel and many would not visit a church due to social pressure, geographical distance or even busy schedules, this opportunity is invaluable.  

While most of the network are still seekers, there is real momentum towards faith and baptisms. In general, when more than half of a DBS group commits to follow Jesus, they are baptised together. Almost all of the first generation have been baptised and are now meeting as bodies of Christ. Just last week, while Murat himself was in hospital, 13 more groups reached this point, and 41 people were baptised! This brings the total of baptised believers in the network up to 60.  

Andrew continues to coach Murat, Murat coaches Jemal and Yasin, and they in turn coach others. Some group leaders are starting to meet for mutual encouragement and problem solving. In this way, the network grows not only in numbers but in maturity and leadership. Even as the connections become more complex, the simplicity of the DBS groups remains the same. And it’s these simple steps that have led to remarkable multiplication. 

Please Pray For:  

1. Murat, Jemal and Yasin as they grow as leaders in this network and raise up many others like them with a passion to share Jesus and see a greater movement of God in their nation.  

1. Multiplication through the natural networks of the families, friends and coworkers of the current believers and seekers in DBS groups. May God move powerfully and may we see this become a movement of over 1000 people in the next two years.  

1. Waha app’s development, including funding for translation into the local sign language. May this allow DBS groups to flourish among the deaf community.