EVERY NATION, TRIBE, TONGUE, AND PEOPLE
Using Dental Missionary Work to Open Hearts for the Everlasting Gospel
There are places in this world where people may never walk into an evangelistic meeting, but they will walk into a dental clinic because they are in pain.
They may not initially come looking for a Bible study. They may come because they have an infected tooth. They may come because they have lived with dental pain for months. A mother may bring her child because she has nowhere else to turn. A man may simply want to smile again.
And there, in that moment of need, the church has an opportunity to demonstrate what the Gospel looks like before asking someone to listen to what the Gospel says.
This is the vision behind Forward in Faith: to unite compassionate medical and dental missionary service with the worldwide proclamation of the everlasting Gospel and the Three Angels’ Messages.
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” — Revelation 14:6
The message is global.
Therefore, the mission must be global.
The World Still Needs the Three Angels’ Messages
Revelation 14:6–12 presents a final message that is to reach the entire world before the return of Jesus Christ.
The first angel begins with the everlasting Gospel and calls humanity to fear God, give Him glory, recognize the hour of His judgment, and worship the Creator.
The second angel announces the fall of Babylon—a system of spiritual confusion that has turned humanity away from the truth of God's Word.
The third angel gives a solemn warning concerning false worship and describes a people who remain faithful to Jesus:
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” — Revelation 14:12
These messages are not merely doctrines to be debated.
They are a call to Jesus.
They call people out of confusion and into truth, out of bondage and into freedom, out of false worship and into genuine worship, out of hopelessness and into the everlasting Gospel.
But there is a question we must ask:
How will we reach people who are not yet interested in hearing us preach?
One answer may be found in the ministry of Jesus Himself.
Jesus Preached and Healed
Matthew gives us a beautiful summary of Christ's ministry:
“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” — Matthew 9:35
Notice the combination:
Teaching.
Preaching.
Healing.
Jesus cared about the whole person.
He did not see suffering people merely as potential church members. He loved them. He touched them. He healed them. He fed them. He listened to them. He restored dignity to people society had forgotten.
And as people experienced His compassion, hearts were opened to hear His words.
That same principle can shape missionary work today.
The Dental Chair Can Become a Mission Field
Dental pain knows no nationality.
A toothache hurts in Mexico.
It hurts in Cuba.
It hurts in Papua New Guinea.
It hurts in India.
It hurts in Jamaica.
It hurts in Peru.
Whether someone is rich or poor, Christian or non-Christian, educated or uneducated, pain has a way of reminding us that we are all human.
That creates an extraordinary opportunity for Christian service.
Imagine entering a community where access to dental care is limited.
A patient arrives experiencing severe pain.
They are welcomed.
Someone listens to their story.
A dental professional examines them.
The team treats them with dignity.
Their pain is relieved.
Before they leave, someone gently asks:
“Would you like us to pray with you?”
There is no pressure.
There is no condition attached to the treatment.
We serve because Jesus loves them, whether they ever attend one of our meetings or not.
But sometimes that simple act of compassion opens a relationship.
The patient asks:
“Why did you come all this way to help us?”
And our answer is simple:
“Because Jesus loves you.”
Now the door is open.
From the Dental Chair to the Bible
This is where dental missionary work and evangelism can work together beautifully.
The model is simple:
DENTAL CARE
↓
COMPASSION
↓
RELATIONSHIP
↓
PRAYER
↓
BIBLE STUDY
↓
EVERLASTING GOSPEL
↓
THREE ANGELS’ MESSAGES
↓
DECISION FOR CHRIST
↓
BAPTISM
↓
DISCIPLESHIP
The dentist cannot do all of this alone.
That is why the vision requires a team.
Dentists and dental professionals provide care.
Doctors and nurses minister to health needs.
Prayer teams minister to hurting families.
Bible workers visit homes and study Scripture with interested people.
Local church members build friendships.
Pastors nurture spiritual interests.
Evangelists preach Christ and the prophetic message.
Then, after the international missionary team leaves, the local church remains.
This is not simply a dental trip.
It is an evangelistic strategy built around compassionate service.
Clinics That Become Centers of Healing and Hope
The larger vision is to go beyond temporary mission trips.
The mission is to establish dental clinics around the world that can become centers of healing, training, discipleship, and evangelism.
Imagine a dental clinic where patients receive excellent professional care while experiencing the character of Christ.
Imagine young people being trained in healthcare and missionary service.
Imagine dental students spending time learning how their profession can become ministry.
Imagine local Bible workers partnering with healthcare professionals.
Imagine patients being treated during the day and voluntarily attending Bible studies and evangelistic meetings in the evening.
Imagine a clinic becoming known throughout its community as:
“The place where they care about you.”
And then imagine those relationships continuing year after year.
That is much more powerful than arriving for one week and disappearing.
The clinic becomes a permanent missionary presence.
Papua New Guinea
The vision is to take this model into Papua New Guinea, where the Gospel is already moving powerfully and medical missionary service can become another avenue for reaching communities.
Dental service by day.
Bible work in the community.
Three Angels’ Messages by night.
Baptisms and discipleship.
The Philippines
In the Philippines, dental missionary work can unite with a strong culture of evangelism and local church involvement.
Clinics can become training centers where healthcare professionals, students, Bible workers, and evangelists learn how to work together.
The goal is not merely extracting teeth.
We want to relieve pain while pointing people toward the One who ultimately heals the brokenness of humanity.
Cuba
In Cuba, the vision is again integration:
Medical missionary work + Dental missionary work + Bible workers + Forward in Faith evangelism + Baptisms + Local church discipleship.
Every aspect must, of course, operate within applicable local laws, professional licensing requirements, and religious and humanitarian regulations.
But wherever the door opens, we want to serve.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the dream is particularly meaningful.
A dental clinic can become a center serving communities while strengthening the work of local churches.
Medical and dental brigades can provide concentrated periods of community outreach, while a permanent ministry creates continuity.
People shouldn't simply remember:
“Some missionaries came once.”
We want communities to know:
“They are still here.”
Mexico
In Mexico, medical and dental missionary evangelism can combine health education, preventive dentistry, clinical treatment, prayer, Bible work, public evangelism, and local church follow-up.
The clinic opens the relationship.
The Bible worker continues it.
The evangelist presents the message.
The Holy Spirit works upon the heart.
And the local church continues making disciples.
India and South Korea
The Gospel commission extends far beyond places where Christianity is culturally familiar.
The vision includes India and South Korea, where the approach must be thoughtful, respectful, culturally informed, and grounded in genuine service.
We do not serve people merely to gain an audience.
We serve because they are people Christ died to save.
Our compassion must be authentic.
And when people ask about the hope within us, we are ready to tell them about Jesus.
Trinidad, Jamaica, Venezuela, Peru—and Beyond
The burden extends throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific, and eventually wherever God opens the door:
Trinidad and Tobago.
Jamaica.
Venezuela.
Peru.
Papua New Guinea.
Philippines.
Cuba.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Mexico.
India.
South Korea.
And many more.
These countries are not simply dots on a missionary map.
Behind every country are people.
Families.
Children.
Communities.
People experiencing pain.
People searching for hope.
People Jesus died to save.
We Are Not Called Merely to Open Dental Clinics
This distinction matters.
The ultimate mission is not dentistry.
Dentistry is a tool.
The mission is Jesus Christ.
We do not simply want to build clinics.
We want to build centers of influence for the Kingdom of God.
We do not simply want healthier teeth.
We want healthier communities.
We do not simply want patients.
We want friendships.
We do not simply want crowds.
We want disciples.
And we do not simply want people to hear prophecy.
We want them to encounter the Jesus at the center of prophecy.
Revelation 14 begins with the everlasting Gospel.
Before the warning comes the Gospel.
Before we speak about Babylon, there is Jesus.
Before we speak about judgment, there is Jesus.
Before we speak about the commandments, there is Jesus.
Before we call people to obedience, there is the grace of Jesus.
And Revelation 14 ultimately describes God's people as possessing both:
THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
and
THE FAITH OF JESUS.
Forward in Faith
Jesus gave His church a worldwide assignment:
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations...” — Matthew 28:19
Revelation gives that mission an end-time urgency:
“To every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” — Revelation 14:6
And the ministry of Jesus gives us the method:
Teach. Preach. Heal.
There are billions of people in this world.
There are thousands of communities.
There are countless people living with physical pain, emotional pain, spiritual confusion, and hopelessness.
We cannot reach all of them at once.
But we can begin with one patient.
One family.
One village.
One dental chair.
One clinic.
One Bible study.
One evangelistic campaign.
One baptism.
And then another.
And another.
And another.
Until clinics become missionary centers, healthcare professionals become missionaries, churches become centers of healing, and the everlasting Gospel continues moving across borders.
From the clinic to the church.
From the dental chair to the Bible study.
From relieving pain to restoring hope.
From healing to preaching.
From preaching to discipleship.
From every village to every nation.
FORWARD IN FAITH
EVERY NATION. EVERY TRIBE. EVERY TONGUE. EVERY PEOPLE.
Healing Bodies. Restoring Hope. Sharing Jesus.
Until the everlasting Gospel goes to all the world.
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