'Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace...' Acts 9:31
Peace - eirene (gk) - an untroubled well being - an internal settling regardless of external circumstances.
I wonder what Luke is attempting to say here about this peaceful experience? I've always read into this a reprieve from persecution. That since Saul the Great Persecutor had met the resurrected Jesus in the same chapter the Church around the Middle East was then free to move and breath and live without fear.
I'm not so sure about that.
In Philippians Paul (the now Great Missionary) challenged that church to be 'anxious about nothing.' That rejoicing in God regardless of their circumstances would foster a 'peace of God, which transcends all understanding' and this peace would protect their hearts and minds in Christs truth (Philippians 4:4-7).
Peter also noted the need for being 'clear-minded and selfcontrolled' and this in order to connect with Jesus in prayer and in essence experience the peace Paul describes (1 Peter 4:7).
All through Acts we see believers experiencing a supernatural filling of peace in the midst of struggle, suffering, persecution and lack of understanding of the intricacies of the Way.
This peace is not due to a lack of persecution, at least I don't believe that's what Luke is stating here. In fact, I believe he's noting that across greater Israel the normal experience in that season was a peace fostered by the divine nature of Christ as promised through the Counselor, the Holy Spirit.
This isn't the sort of kick-up-your-feet with a cigar and a martini on the Mediterranean-seaside sort of peace...
This is the supernatural filling of the Spirit. An internal divine settling regardless of the external chaos.
This is a stand-firm in the Gospel through prayer and edification...and then a martini.
The passage continues with several more points that display the work of the Spirit throughout the early Church. We'll see that Spirit-led edification and exhortation lead to multiplication.
Read Acts 1-9 and in particular 9:31 for the greater context.