Note 6 at 1 Th. 2:15: It is sad that unbelief not only causes people to perish, but often those who reject the gospel endeavor to hinder others from receiving God's truth as well. That's what the unbelieving Jews did. They not only rejected the message of God's true prophets, but they killed them so others would not be influenced.

The dictionary says that to "respond" means "to answer - in any way, to return an answer, or to act in response." When Christ is preached it produces a response, but not always a positive one. Everywhere Paul went, there was either a revival or a riot, but never indifference (see note 2 at Acts 14:4, p. 654).