Acts 6:7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
The book of Acts records a balance of the extremes of the early Church: her struggles and her successes. Most are familiar with the account at the beginning of the chapter, and how that church resolved the issue of under-supported widows. It was a great success in unifying and strengthening the church, impressing the world around them, and drawing more to the Gospel. This simple statement above is an understatement of the great power and influence of the church impacting her culture as we wish we could. It also serves as a transition into the sad-but-true account of Stephen, who was very vocal about his faith, which brought extreme opposition and imprisonment. The picture is this: for the church to do what she needs to do and grow as she ought to grow, there will be challenges and opposition on an ongoing basis. There are no transitional statements like this when "all seems to be going smoothly." They are simple pauses to breathe in between the challenges and battles we are called on to face in the name of Christ.
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