Andy Stanley - Am I Good Enough?. Preparing for Lifes Final Exam

AM I GOOD ENOUGH?
published by Multnomah Publishers, Inc.

2005 by Andy Stanley

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from:
The Holy Bible, New International Version 1973, 1984 by International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Stanley, Andy.
Am I good enough? / Andy Stanley.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
eISBN: 978-0-307-56346-0
1. Christian life. I. Title.
BV4501.3.S7312 2005
248.4dc22
2004025801

v3.1

The story is told of a Sunday school teacher whose assignment was to explain to the six-year-olds in his class what someone had to do in order to go to heaven. In an attempt to discover what the kids already believed about the subject, he asked them a few questions.

If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into heaven?

NO! the children all answered.

If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into heaven?

Again the answer was, NO!

Well then, he said, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children and loved my wife, would that get me into heaven?

Again they all shouted, NO!

Well then, how can I get into heaven?

A boy in the back row stood up and shouted, YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!

Theres the problem: You gotta be dead to go to heaven. Consequently, you gotta be dead to know much about the place.

Some people say theyve actually seen heaven. They claim to have died and come back to talk about itand write bestselling books on the subject. I have read a couple of those books, and Ive heard a couple of returners interviewed on television. Their stories are interesting. But they never give a straight answer to the questions we are all asking: How do you get there? What can we do on this side of death to be sure we get a spot in heaven?

Most agree that death is a prerequisite, but thats pretty much where agreement ends and speculation begins. In these pages, we are going to look at an ancient but popular theory about who goes to heaven. I say ancient, because the idea has been around since the beginning of civilization. In terms of popularity, it is what most world religions teach.

So why did I bother to write a book about it? Because in spite of its immense popularity and long standing, this theory doesnt make a lick of sense.

Seriously. Smart, educated, accomplished men and women from just about every nation on earth are banking their eternities on a theory that doesnt hold up under even the slightest scrutiny.

Why? Well, Im not sure. Probably because everybody is busy going to school, making a living, falling in love, having kids, and whatever else they are doing. Nobodys got time to think about heaven. So they dont.

But every now and again we are confronted with the fact that everybody dies. All of us. And when that happens, we start scrambling for answers and looking for some reassurance about where we are going to spend eternity. For most people on this spinning ball of minerals and dirt, they find comfort in an assumption they have never tested. And this untested belief gives them the reassurance they need to jump right back into the game of life.

So what is this internationally held belief?

Good people go to heaven.

The logic flows something like this: There is a good God who lives in a good place reserved for good people. This God goes by many names. He is behind all the major world religions. Therefore, all major, and possibly minor, religions provide a legitimate path to God and, therefore, heaven. The requirement for making it to this good place is to be good. Each religion has its own definition for good. But what they all have in common is that men and women must do certain things, and not do certain things, in order to assure themselves a spot in this good place with a good God.

Make sense?

Actually, it doesnt really make any sense at all. In fact, if you are smart enough to read this book, you are smart enough to find the problems with the good people go view without my help. Chances are, youve never really thought it through. But you owe it to yourself to do so.

I figure it will take you about two hours to read this book. Investing two hours of your time to consider where you will spend eternity isnt really much to ask. So find a comfortable chair and prepare yourself for what may be an uncomfortable discovery.

If you are like most people , you believe that everybody lives forever somewhere, that once you die your soul goes somewhere. Most Americans believe in heaven. A smaller percentage believe in hell. In other parts of the world, the prevailing belief is that the soul comes back around for another lapwe just start over as someone (or something) else.

In spite of all their differences and peculiarities, the religions of this world share one common denominator: How you live your life on this side of the grave determines what happens next. American thought has all the good people going to heaven. In some other parts of the world, the good people come back around as even better people, or at least with the opportunity to become a better person.

Heres something to think about: If God appeared to you and asked, Why should I let you into heaven? how would you answer? If youre like most people, your answer might run something along these lines:

Ive always tried to

I never

I do my best

Whether I am talking to Muslims, Hindus, Christians, or just the average guy on the street the majority of the answers I receive to that question go back to an individuals attempt to live a good life. Why? Because most people believe that good people go to heaven.

The moral? Behave yourself now and you dont really need to worry too much about what happens next. The end. Now lets get back to hanging out at the mall, going to class, watching The O.C.you know, the important things in life.