Three Jewish believers connected to ministry networks in Israel had spent decades serving God. Rachel had made Aliyah from another country and led a ministry focused on discipleship. Francis and Beatrice were older believers who had also immigrated to Israel later in life. All three were deeply committed followers of Yeshua who genuinely loved people and had spent years involved in ministry, Bible studies, worship, outreach, and teaching.

Like many mature believers, they had slowly fallen into a ministry pattern built around having the right answers. Bible studies often revolved around teaching, explaining doctrine, correcting people, or trying to persuade others intellectually. Francis especially recognized that his instinct in conversations was always to answer questions quickly and provide the “correct” theological response.

But that all changed during a season of war fatigue, uncertainty, and emotional exhaustion in Israel.

They began experimenting with a Discovery Bible Study process through Waha. In one of the first meetings, Rachel realized something. After years in ministry, she realized she had grown impatient with people who were spiritually slow to respond. When one of the Discovery Bible Study questions asked about the needs of the lost in her community, she suddenly broke down crying.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t spend time with them.”

The realization hit hard.

All three began recognizing that they had spent years doing ministry for people without truly slowing down enough to listen, ask questions, depend on the Holy Spirit, or simply walk with others relationally. As they worked through Discovery Bible Studies together, something began to shift. Instead of immediately supplying answers, they started learning to ask questions. Instead of controlling conversations, they began trusting the Holy Spirit to guide people through Scripture themselves.

For Francis and Beatrice especially, the realization was overwhelming. One evening, Beatrice became emotional as she reflected on how many years they had spent trying to “win souls” by explaining things to people instead of actually discipling them relationally. Their mentor gently pointed them back to the example of Jesus. How often did he immediately answer questions directly?

Not very much…

More often, He responded with another question:

“How do you read it?”

“What does the Scripture say?”

“What do you think?”

For the first time, these longtime believers began seeing disciple making less as delivering information and more as helping people encounter God personally through obedience, relationship, prayer, and discovery.

“It was like scales fell off their eyes,” their mentor later said.

The transformation was immediate and deeply personal. Rachel began spending far more time in prayer and became noticeably softer and more patient with people. Instead of trying to force ministry outcomes, she started depending on the Holy Spirit to move in people’s hearts. Francis and Beatrice completely changed the way they interacted with nonbelievers. Instead of turning every first conversation into a theological discussion, they slowed down, listened carefully, built relationships, and learned how to guide conversations naturally toward spiritual discovery.

Even more surprisingly, these older believers who had spent decades in church and ministry felt like they were finally learning how to be discipled themselves.

Their ministry focus shifted away from simply doing more ministry activities and toward deeper obedience, prayer, relational investment, and helping people genuinely encounter Yeshua through Scripture. In the middle of war, instability, and uncertainty in Israel, that change is already beginning to ripple outward into both Jewish and Bedouin communities.

One local woman from a Bedouin background has already secretly placed her faith in Jesus, despite the danger it could bring her if discovered.

For these believers, disciple making is no longer about having the right answers. It’s about learning to slow down, ask better questions, trust the Holy Spirit, and walk with people toward Jesus together.