Though it would be foolish to suppose that the believers were anything other than a minority in Jerusalem, they had by this time made their presence felt at every level of the city’s life and, on the whole, had been well received. But the storm that broke over Stephen brought in its wake a decline in their popularity (cf. 6:12), which in turn enabled the Sanhedrin to take much stronger action against them. The word “persecution” occurs here for the first time in Acts (v. 1), and for the first time ordinary believers were directly affected. But again we are reminded that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Rom. 8:28; see disc. on 4:28). Because of the persecution many believers fled the city, and by this means the gospel began to spread (cf. 8:4–40; 11:19–30).

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