Watching to Mock
In 2012, a video called "The Underground Church in Iran" went viral on YouTube. It showed secret house churches, baptisms in bathtubs, and believers risking their lives to follow Jesus.
Among the millions who watched was a young Iranian man named Reza, living in exile in Turkey.
"I was a Muslim skeptic," Reza recalls. "I watched the video to mock these foolish converts. But something happened. I couldn't stop watching."
2 A.M. Conversion
For months, Reza searched YouTube for more content about Christianity. He found testimonies, sermons, and worship songs—all in Farsi, all uploaded by Christians who knew their countrymen were searching.
"I gave my life to Christ watching a testimony video at 2 a.m.," Reza says. "No one was there. Just me, my laptop, and the Holy Spirit."
The Internet Is the New Underground
Today, Reza runs a digital ministry producing content for the estimated 3 million Iranian Christians—most of whom, like him, first encountered Jesus online.
"The internet is the new underground," Reza says. "We can't smuggle Bibles into Iran easily anymore. But we can upload sermons. We can stream worship. We can reach people the government can't stop."
What started with a YouTube video is now one of the fastest-growing churches in the world—meeting in living rooms, chatting on WhatsApp, and worshipping through screens.