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Four years had passed since the Holy Spirit had been given to the Jews.(1) “A great wave of persecution” had begun on the day that Stephen was killed.(2) It swept over the church, causing many believers, except the apostles, to scatter throughout Judea and Samaria. Despite this dispersion, the church continued to grow. The apostles remained in Jerusalem for a season to shepherd the still-growing church through her infancy, despite threats from the religious leaders and the persecution directed toward the other believers. It is very possible that the initial persecution was primarily aimed at the Hellenistic Jewish believers, as was the case with Stephen.

Philip, the second of the seven Hellenistic Jewish leaders selected to minister to the widows, was directed by God to go to Samaria.  Jesus had previously prohibited His apostles from going there.(3) However, now the Lord was inviting Philip to enter into the labor He had begun about seven years earlier through His encounter with the woman at the well.(4) Philip was not only to declare God’s Word but also to demonstrate God’s power through miracles.