Acts 8:1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
When the going got tough for the Jews, many of the people left the area and scattered themselves throughout the surrounding areas.
We see this happening today with many people fleeing from persecution and wars to try and at least live a normal life somewhere else in the world.
But the apostles and many devout church leaders stayed behind to make sure the Gospel was told to the people. They were willing to face the persecution rather than leaving people without hope.
God calls us to stand up and trust Him. That is very hard when the world around you seems to be going mad!