Acts 9:31 summarises what has happened in Acts 6:8–9:30. 1 Following the martyrdom of Stephen and the persecution which followed it, there came a time where the church was generally tolerated by political leaders and Jews living in Judea, Galilee and Samaria. Where the word church was previously used to refer to a gathering of believers in a particular locality, it is used here in reference to all the believers as they are found in many different localities, the universal/catholic church.2 The peace in view could be a specific reference to contentment in the face of persecution,3 or to the internal unity and camaraderie. The summary phrase highlights the fact that the church has grown4 and that everything is now prepared for a significant expansion among the Gentiles.5
31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.