Before Peter could preach the gospel to the Gentile Cornelius and those in his house, the Holy Spirit had to prepare Peter to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. For Peter to try to add Gentiles to the church would not be received well by the Judaizing Christians that inhabited the church. However, since the Holy Spirit told Cornelius to send his men to get Peter, that same Holy Spirit had to prepare Peter to go to Cornelius to preach.

Peter informed the Gentile Christians that circumcision was unnecessary for those who believe in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. But Peter changed his tune and Paul opposed Peter and the Judaizing Christians to their faces when the Judaizing Christians came to instruct the Gentiles Christians that they did need to be circumcised.

We mature Christians are called to restore other Christians that fall into temptation and then sin. But in order to really understand how sin is restored spiritually, the Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, gives us an object lesson that cannot be surpassed.

The way to insure victory over our test is to patiently work to overcome our test as hard while performing successfully as we would work if we were not being successful, concluding that our patient persistence in working as hard as we can makes it more difficult for our opponent to catch us.