UTimoti wayengumzalwana omncinane owayekwibandla laseListra. Utata wakhe wayengumGrike, umama wakhe yena engumYuda. Umama wakhe uYunike nomakhulu wakhe uLoyisi bamfundisa ngoYehova esemncinane.

Xa uPawulos wayesiya kushumayela eListra, wafumanisa ukuba uTimoti wayebathanda kakhulu abazalwana ibe wayefuna ukubanceda. Wacela uTimoti ukuba ahambe naye. Ngelo xesha, uPawulos wamqeqeshela ukushumayela nokufundisa iindaba ezilungileyo.

Kuyo yonke indawo ababesiya kuyo uPawulos noTimoti babekhokelwa ngumoya oyingcwele. Ngobunye ubusuku, embonweni uPawulos waxelelwa ukuba aye kunceda eMakedoni. Ngoko uPawulos, uTimoti, uSilas, noLuka baya kushumayela apho baza baqalisa amabandla.

Kwidolophu yaseMakedoni iTesalonika, amadoda nabafazi abaninzi baba ngamaKristu. Amanye amaYuda ammonela uPawulos nabo babemkhaphile. Abathatha abazalwana aza abasa kubalawuli bedolophu esithi: ‘La madoda ziintshaba zikarhulumente waseRoma!’ Ubomi bukaPawulos noTimoti babusengozini, ngoko babaleka baya eBhereya ngobusuku.

Abantu baseBhereya babenomdla wokufunda iindaba ezilungileyo, ngoko amaGrike namaYuda aba ngamakholwa. Kodwa amaYuda athile avela eTesalonika avusa uqhushululu, ngoko uPawulos waya eAthene. UTimoti noSilas bashiyeka eBhereya beqinisa abazalwana. Ekuhambeni kwexesha, uPawulos wabuyisela uTimoti eTesalonika ukuze ancede abazalwana bakwazi ukumelana nentshutshiso. Emva koko,  uPawulos wathi kuTimoti makayokukhuthaza amanye amabandla amaninzi.

UPawulos wathi kuTimoti: ‘Abo bafuna ukukhonza uYehova baza kutshutshiswa.’ UTimoti watshutshiswa waza wavalelwa ngenxa yokholo lwakhe. Wakuvuyela ukufumana ithuba lokuzingqina enyanisekile kuYehova.

UPawulos wathi kumaFilipi: ‘Ndiza kuthumela uTimoti. Uza kunifundisa indlela yokuhlala ninyanisekile, aze aniqeqeshele ukushumayela.’ UPawulos wayemthembile uTimoti. Basebenza kunye bengabahlobo abakhonza kunye iminyaka emininzi.