Acts 10

v1-8: Cornelius was a devout man who prayed, feared God, and gave gifts to the poor.  But there was something he now lacked.  "The one who believed in the promise of the Messiah must now believe the fulfilment of that promise."  Our prayers and gifts will only be accepted by God, if we have believed the message that Jesus is the Christ, and are trusting only in Him for acceptance by God.

v9-18: The Old Testament spoke of a time when the Gentiles would be brought into God's people, and the great commission Jesus gave involved making disciples of all nations.  But with the food laws, which stop Jews and Gentiles from eating together, it was hard to see how Gentiles could be fellow heirs with the Jews.  "The taking away of these prohibitions" in the vision Peter received, allowed Jews now to associate with the Gentiles, and a barrier that divided Jewish believers from new believers who were Gentiles, was destroyed.

v19-33: It is an act of kindness to invite all our friends and family to join us in hearing God's Word

v34-43: Jesus was enabled to do what He did "by a divine anointing" when "the Holy Spirit descended on him at his baptism." God was with Him, "acknowledging him, standing by him, and supporting him on in all his service and suffering."  If God has given us His Holy Spirit, He will be with us, and support us in all our service and suffering.

v44-48: Those who believe in Jesus should not be denied the sign of baptism.  Those who believe in Jesus should want to be given the sign of baptism.

Acts 11

v1-18: We can only act according to the light we have received at present.  This should stop us from being "so fixed in our opinions" that we are "prejudiced against further revelations, since the matter may either be different or appear different."  In our criticisms we should show moderation, because there are times when "if we correctly understood what we are so eager to criticise, perhaps we would see good reason to go along with it."

v19-26: It is good to hear about the progress of the gospel in other places, and "we must be glad to see the grace of God in others, and all the more so when we see it where we did not expect it." As we have opportunity, we should look to encourage those who have turned to the Lord to remain faithful to Him, to "not fall away from following him, nor flag and tire in following him."

v27-30: The poor must not be neglected, especially the poor among God's people.  "Every particular church should take care of their own poor," according to their ability to contribute to this good work.