One day we bless, the next we curse. That's just the way we are. But, before we get too down on ourselves, the Apostle Peter was the same way. The book of Matthew records:

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:13-19 New American Standard Bible).

Here Peter said something very profound. And, because of it, Jesus responded in the most positive way. However, only a few verses later, this same Peter really blew it. When Jesus began to talk about His coming death at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders, Peter rebuked Him by saying:

God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You (Matthew 16:22)

This time Jesus' response to Peter was not so positive. Jesus said:

Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God's interests, but man's (Matthew 16:23).

Like I said, one moment we bless, the next we curse. That's the way we are. That's why it's so dangerous for us to blindly follow our leaders. Even they can go wrong. From this account of Peter, we learn that it's a fine line between spiritual truth and error. The best of us can cross over and become our Lord's enemy, and do so with all the best intentions.

How the world defines a cult is not the way the Bible defines a cult. The world considers all religions to have started out as cults. In time, as the new religion grew and became main-stream, that religion stopped being a cult and became a major religion.

Yet, as I said, the Bible says different. The Bible classifies all religions that are based on someone, or group of people, other than Christ Himself, as a cult. That's what the Apostle John meant when he wrote:

These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him (1 John 2:26-27).

By this definition, the Roman Catholic Church is a cult. But, so is any religion that requires its members to follow their leaders without questioning. For example, among our own evangelical circles today, we find the growing New Apostolic Reformation Movement attempting to reintroduce to the church the authority of modern-day apostles and prophets.

The sad fact is, we live at a time when cults and their leaders shine like never before. Even Dr. James Dobson and Rev. Billy Graham have been on TV recently speaking favorably about Pope John Paul. Graham went so far as to tell the story about how he had asked the Pope to pray for him. Like I said, it's a fine line between spiritual truth and error.

One day we bless, the next we curse.