17. What shows that the preaching work of the first-century Christians was effective?

¹⁷ The first-century Christians preached the good news of God’s Kingdom with uncompromising zeal. (Matthew 24:14) By about 60 C.E., Paul could say that the good news had been “preached in all creation that is under heaven.” (Colossians 1:23) By the end of the first century, Jesus’ followers had made disciples throughout the Roman Empire—in Asia, Europe, and Africa! Even some members of “the household of Caesar” became Christians.a (Philippians 4:22) This zealous preaching aroused resentment. Says Neander: “Christianity steadily made progress among people of every rank, and threatened to overthrow the religion of the state.”