Speaker and author Jennie Allen has had a front-row seat to revival — and her powerful role in helping spread the Gospel to new generations all started with a dream.
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Allen said her decision to launch Gather — a global effort that rallies the church together for a 25-hour simulcast— was rooted in that dream, a fact she knows might “sound crazy to some people.”
“I’m not saying I’ve not believed in dreams and visions from God,” she said. “But I’ve never been one that’s had dreams and visions from God, and, a few years ago, a friend prayed the night that I had this dream that I would hear from God on some pretty big things, pivotal things with my ministry and dream that Jesus was coming back in 10 years.”
At the time, Allen was tired, weary, and considering quitting. But the dream absolutely changed all of that and sparked her current journey to persist in the faith. Allen cautioned that she isn’t one to predict when she believes Christ is coming back, but noted that the dream made a deep impact on her.
“I have no idea when He’s coming back — would never claim that, but I, I mean, I can’t help that I vividly dreamed He was coming back,” Allen said. “And what that did for me was just put an urgency in me and the thought of, ‘What would we do if He were coming back and we knew it in now. … If he were coming back in eight years, then what would we do and how would we live?'”
The dream itself was hyper-motivating for Allen considering its contents.
“It was not a good dream,” she said. “Everybody would think, ‘You dream Jesus, come back. Oh my gosh, that’s the best news.’ It was bad news because we had so much work to do and so many people were perishing.”
Allen continued, “And that is my hope and prayer … that we all would wake up to that, that would not be unique to me or to those that are called to ministry. We are all called to take the Gospel to every person we can.”
It was after she awoke from the dream that she felt it was important to “gather the entire global church” — something to which people across the globe favorably responded.
People across the world came together to make the Gather movement possible — and that success continues. Meanwhile, Allen has been traveling and speaking as part of UniteUs, seeing droves of college students and young people embrace Jesus.
“This whole year, everything that’s happened — I just think God is in the business of moving in a really unique way right now on Earth,” she said. “And, for some reason, I’ve been given a great seat. Like, I’m sitting up front.”
Allen recalled being at the Asbury Revival in 2023 when, for 16 days and nights, students, the community and people from all over the world came together for nonstop prayer and worship. She said she’s also seen revival happen at prisons as well.
“I kind of just feel in awe, honestly,” she said. “I feel like I’m standing in the midst of the wonder and awe of God, and it really is beautiful and amazing.”
Allen, who has been speaking on various college campus with UniteUs, a ministry serving young people, and watching droves of young people coming to Christ, said she feels “grounded” and “humbled” by the experience of watching so many hearts embrace the truth.
“I just feel like my belief in God is stronger than it’s ever been,” Allen said.
She said she keeps saying, “Yes” to opportunities to show up and point people to the Lord. It’s a lesson she believes everyone could heed.
“I don’t think I’m special,” Allen said. “I think every single one of us is supposed to say, ‘Yes’ to whatever God calls us to, and, as we do that, usually for me, the cliff jumping has gotten higher and higher and the risk has gotten more and more, but it always proves worth it.”
She continued, “And I just want … for the rest of my life for that to have been true of me … put it on my tombstone that she said, ‘Yes.'”
Ultimately, Allen said showing up to speak and share the Gospel with young people points to a broader decision to live vertically rather than horizontally.
“We either live for this world or we live for heaven,” she said.
Allen also spoke about her Gather25 movement, which was a 25-hour global broadcast featuring people from around the global Christian community.
“Jesus followers in churches, campuses, arenas, and living rooms–from every continent and denomination– joined together across every time zone to watch the Gather25 broadcast that was free to everyone, everywhere,” the description read. “For 25 hours, Gather25 invited believers across the world to pray, repent, worship, and discover how the love of Jesus is transforming the world through everyday people.”
“I think people are hungering to work together,” Allen said. “I think people are hungering to see a move of God on Earth. I think we’re all kind of over the posturing and politicizing of religion. I think we all are craving a real, true movement of God, and I think that’s why people are saying, ‘Yes.'”
Allen said she gets sad when people don’t realize the incredible good that’s happening in the world as increasing numbers of people show up to trust God.
She said she’s praying people have “a renewed passion for souls” after Gather and “an awakening to all that God is.”
“The church has never been bigger than it is right now,” she said. “And I think it’s revival time.”
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