“And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”” Luke 1:17 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/luk.1.17.NET
What does it mean to be ready for the Lord to appear? When Jesus warns us to be prepared for His reappearing, He expects us to be watching for Him and busy doing for Him the work He assigned us. So many today are not ready for the Lord to return. Too many young people don’t know the Lord. This is why John was sent, to encourage fathers to turn to their children and train them in the way they are to go so they will greet Him with love, joy, and honor when the Lord appears. This is the need of the hour today. Fathers re-engaged in the ministry of home discipleship. Fathers embracing their role as spiritual leaders of their homes to ensure the discipleship of their children. Fathers must engage the Lord and teach their children to do the same. In an airplane, the oxygen mask is first placed on the parent and then the child, so the father begins training his children by leading by example. Being an example is not enough. Turning toward our children means intentionally teaching our children in the ways of God. This includes instruction in the word of God and then practice in obeying that word through serving God. Hearing and doing are required by God to please Him and prepare us for His appearance. If we do these things, we will be found by Him, ready to meet Him when Jesus returns, the day and hour we know not.
My book MAN Up! Helps a man understand biblical manhood and gives him a target for aiming sons and a scale for his daughters to weigh future husbands.