Jesus gave this commission to His disciples when He had risen from the dead: “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:18-20 ASV). In verse 19, the KJV says we are to teach all nations. Teaching is integral to making disciples; as verse 20 notes, disciples must be taught all things Jesus has commanded.
Today, we are attempting to make disciples as we go about our lives where we are, but the need is still crucial in other nations. Jesus commanded His disciples to go into all the world to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15) because belief and obedience to the gospel—culminating in baptism—is what saves people; otherwise, they will be condemned (Mark 16:16). The gospel is the power of God to salvation, but one must believe it (Rom. 1:16). Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17). While additional knowledge increases responsibility, ignorance does not equal innocence. The one who knows the Lord’s will and refuses to do it will be beaten with “many stripes”—increased culpability (Luke 12:47). The one who did not know and yet committed things worthy of stripes will be beaten with “few stripes” (Luke 12:48). There is still punishment even for the ignorant if they have sinned. And all have sinned (Rom. 3:23). The Lord Jesus will come, “in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:8). This is why it is so crucial that the gospel in its purity be made available to all nations.
Daniel and Audrey Goshorn have made great sacrifices to teach the gospel in Peru. They made the initial commitment to serve for at least five years in Huancayo. They put in the time to become fluent in Spanish. They moved with their two small children to serve as missionaries, saying goodbye to family, friends, and the comforts of home. During their time there, their third child was born. They stay busy spreading the gospel while raising three kids. Daniel is a faithful gospel preacher who has tremendous knowledge and ability. Audrey is a capable Bible teacher. She not only is great at assisting Daniel in Bible studies (see Acts 18:26) but also is gifted at leading studies for the women and children. They both regularly travel to multiple locales to spread the gospel and have people in their home almost every day to study the Bible and give biblical counsel. My family spent two weeks with them in 2024 and saw just a small portion of their tremendous efforts for the Lord’s cause. The work takes a great deal of energy and endurance. Their labor has shown fruits with five baptisms already in 2026. The congregation has developed enough so that it is able to continue while they are here in the States with different brothers doing the preaching and teaching. We are thankful for their untiring efforts to build up the kingdom of Christ in Huancayo.
Besides what the Goshorns are doing in Huancayo, most of the work I hear of in Peru among churches of Christ takes place in cities that already have multiple congregations and are near tourist destinations. A group from the US will go down to work and get to tour places like Machu Picchu. We are thankful for these efforts. The gospel is needed everywhere there are people, but it is also needed in places where many do not go for sightseeing. Huancayo is not on the short list of tourist destinations in Peru, but the Goshorns work in this city that is home to almost half a million people, located way up in the mountains east of Lima. To our knowledge, the only congregation of the Lord’s church that exists in Huancayo is the one the Goshorns have organized with their evangelistic efforts.
When Paul discussed his plans with the Christians in Rome, he explained why he had been so long in coming to them (Rom. 15:22) and his intentions to go into Spain (Rom. 15:24), clarifying: “Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation: But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand” (Rom. 15:20, 21). There are differences between Paul and us. As an apostle, Paul was an ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). A few verses earlier in Romans 15, he mentioned how he fully preached the gospel of Christ to make the Gentiles obedient, “through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God” (v. 19). Paul worked miracles and could also impart miraculous gifts to others that produced signs, wonders, and mighty deeds (2 Cor. 12:12) which accompanied the gospel as it initially went forth (Mark 16:17-20). He was intent on making sure the Lord’s commission was fulfilled in the first century—that the gospel went to all the world (Col. 1:6), that it was preached to every creature under heaven (Col. 1:23). Nevertheless, the principle of Romans 15:20, 21 is relevant to the importance of the work the Goshorns are doing in Huancayo, Peru.
It is one thing to work where there are already established congregations of the Lord’s church. It is quite another to go where congregations do not exist. The sheer number of people in and around Huancayo who lack accessible transportation highlights the need for multiple congregations of the Lord’s church in various locations around the city. Unlike cities in our nation that have multiple congregations because of church politics, personal grievances, binding where God has not bound, or doctrinal hairsplitting, there are places in the world that need another congregation of the Lord’s church near them because the people are unable to travel to congregate with the Lord’s church. Mormons, Roman Catholics, and Pentecostal Pastors have a presence in these areas in Peru; they compel people to come to them for answers since they claim direct guidance from the Holy Spirit, but where can one find the New Testament church? Where can people be shown the answers God has already given in the Scriptures? This is why what the Goshorns are doing is so crucial—so people can hear the pure gospel of Christ, be added by the Lord to His church, and worship according to the pattern of the New Testament.
Missionaries can go to a foreign nation with the gospel, but often others are needed to send them. A Peruvian religious visa allows a missionary to do charitable and educational work but does not permit one to receive compensation for professional activities. The Goshorns have multiple skills by which they can aid and educate in healthcare, law enforcement, and prison ministries, but they cannot make these a profession. Paul made tents to support himself when he could (Acts 18:3; 2 Thess. 3:8), but he also received funds from congregations to support the work. In Philippians 4:14-18, we learn that Philippi received funds and gave them to Paul to support his work; this was a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God. The Shelbyville Road congregation is pleasing God by giving to good missionary efforts like helping to support the Goshorns in their efforts to spread the gospel in Peru.
–Mark Day