G.W. North explores the significant shift in the order of baptism as demonstrated in the account of Peter preaching to Cornelius and the Gentiles. He highlights that, unlike the Jewish and Samaritan believers who experienced water baptism first, the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit before their water baptism, indicating a deliberate change by God. This reversal not only emphasizes the inclusivity of the gospel but also reveals a deeper understanding of faith and the workings of the Holy Spirit. North underscores the importance of recognizing this pattern as it reflects God's sovereign plan for all believers, regardless of their background.

Startlingly enough, upon turning to chapter 10, we find that this is precisely what happened when Peter initially preached (or rather commenced to preach) the gospel to the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius. Like Paul, their apostle chosen of God before them, all they who gathered to hear the things commanded them of God upon that occasion were baptised in the Holy Ghost some little time before they were baptised in water. According to Peter's later testimony at Jerusalem to the apostles, what took place in Cornelius' household was exactly the same as that which had happened at his and their own baptism in the Spirit at the beginning at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. Beside being surprising, this new departure from the original order is also a most absorbingly interesting fact of eternal importance as Peter and his companions well knew. However, the great point of discovery for us now is that both with the apostle to the Gentiles and the first Gentile believers themselves, the order known to the earlier believers of Jewish and Samaritan origin was changed. Moreover, it was changed in such a way that we can do no other but believe that it was deliberately done by God. The original practice was begun among the Jews as baptism in water as faith's response to God with a view to receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost (perhaps a synchronous event). This received form and accepted practice was continued among the Samaritans as first baptism in water, to be followed some time later by Baptism in Spirit as a separate experience. But for some reason, which can no more be ignored than it can be denied, this order was reversed among the Gentiles to first Baptism in Spirit, followed by baptism in water. What a significant progression of truth as well as a reversal of order is revealed by these two events.