GEORGE THOMAS: On a recent Friday,

600 miles east of Tehran, not too far

from the Afghanistan Turkmenistan border,

20 Iranians prepared for a secret journey

out of their country.

For their safety, we've concealed their identities

and changed their names.

I've been waiting for this moment for nearly nine years.

GEORGE THOMAS: NARRATOR: The mission took months to prepare.

It was fraught with danger.

This was my wish before I die.

GEORGE THOMAS: Afarin helped arrange their travel.

The moment the Iranian government

discovers someone has changed their religion,

they will try everything to stop the person from sharing

their new faith with others.

GEORGE THOMAS: Most of these new Christians paid a price

for abandoning Islam.

MAN: The government scares Christians, imprisons them,

fires them from their jobs, kicks them out

of school, and many other tactics,

all in an effort to stop them from evangelizing.

GEORGE THOMAS: Afarin knew what they

were about to experience could land them in trouble.

CBN News met them shortly after they left Iran.

Due to the sensitive nature of this report,

CBN News has agreed not to reveal

our location nor the names of the individuals associated

with the story.

And this is why they left Iran for a few days.

For the first time, all 20 followed Christ in baptism.

MAN: In Saudi Iran, if the government found out

that you were baptized, you would

be automatic imprisonment.

And so rather than do that inside their country,

they came outside for a special event like this.

GEORGE THOMAS: One by one, the young and old got dunked.

Men, women, and children, all of whom

renounced Mohammad and professed their faith in Jesus Christ,

in a swimming pool rented for the occasion.

53-year-old Fuddi Boers waited 10 years for this moment.

I accepted Christ when I was 43 years old.

There was no way for me to get baptized in Iran

because of the dangers we face.

Today my faith is complete.

GEORGE THOMAS: 16-year-old Satta accepted Christ four years ago.

GIRL: I became a Christian after seeing Jesus in a dream.

As I was getting baptized this morning,

I felt the Holy Spirit come upon me in a new way.

GEORGE THOMAS: Entire families got baptized.

MAN: It feels very good.

I'm very happy.

My whole family is happy.

GEORGE THOMAS: And what makes this baptism all the more

significant is that the majority of Iranians in attendance

have come from the nation's third largest city of Mashhad,

which also happens to be one of Shia Islam's most holiest city.

Elahi, once a devout Muslim, said

the Quran left her with more questions than answers.

GIRL: This was the appointed time for me to get baptized.

Also, I know God used the past 11 years to grow my faith,

so I could endure a difficult time.

GEORGE THOMAS: Experts say her testimony, and that

of many others, points to evidence that God is advancing

his kingdom in Iran.

We have never seen such an unprecedented growth

of an underground church anywhere else before.

GEORGE THOMAS: Mike Ansari an Iranian by birth,

is director of operations at Mohabat TV.

MAN: [IRANIAN]

GEORGE THOMAS: In 2006, it became the first 24-hour Farsi

Christian channel to beam gospel programs into Iran.

The majority baptized this weekend came to faith

by watching Mohabat TV.

Some of these believers waited for many, many years

to be baptized.

They want to tell the world that they belong to Jesus.

They want to tell the world that what was before is dead

and now they're a new creation.

GEORGE THOMAS: Ansari says many Iranians, especially

the young feel disillusioned with Islam,

and record numbers are turning to this channel

to learn more about Christianity.

MAN: Roughly about 16 million Iranians

are-- within the last 12 months have viewed one or more

of our programs on a satellite TV and also on their--

on their mobile devices.

That roughly translates to about 20% of Iran's population,

and that is an overwhelming number.

GEORGE THOMAS: Mohabat is now one of four satellite

channels broadcasting continuous Christian programming

into Iran.

GIRL: Since we didn't know other believers

or were part of the house church,

there was nobody to help us grow in our faith.

We could only grow through watching Mohabat TV,

and with the Holy Spirit's help to get stronger in our faith.

GEORGE THOMAS: Nathan Rostampour led a house church in Iran

for 10 years until he was forced to flee because

of religious persecution.

Now he hosts a show on Mohabat TV,

teaching folks how to safely run a house church inside Iran.

God is using this house church show

to not only share the gospel, but also

to equip the house churches and make leaders.

GEORGE THOMAS: And those who track

the growth of Christianity around the world

say the one place where the faith is growing the most

is in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Edward Hovsepian says this is nothing short of a miracle.

His brother, Haik Hovsepian an Assemblies of God pastor,

was murdered in Iran for his faith in 1994.

He says no matter how hard the government tries,

it hasn't been able to stop the spread of Christianity.

EDWARD HOVSEPIAN: They are very scared of the Bible,

and they realize many Iranians are attracted to Christianity.

The government has accused them, hoping to undo the effect,

but the result is the opposite as more come to faith.

GEORGE THOMAS: After a few days, of fellowship, teaching,

and encouragement, the 20 believers

returned to Iran, energized and committed

to sharing the love of Christ with their countrymen.

Ansari says these exclusive images

should encourage Christians that God is moving

on the hearts of Iranians.

ANSARI: There is a lot of good news

that is coming out of Iran, and we need to focus on that

and celebrate that.

We are hoping that the results that

are being shared with the church in the West

would encourage the body of Christ in the Western world

that God is very much alive among Muslims

and he's doing a great job.

GEORGE THOMAS: George Thomas, CBN News,

somewhere in the Middle East.