Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and Christ Jesus our hope;
From  Acts 14:6 and  Acts 16:3, it is clear that Timothy was a native of Lystra, and that he was converted on Paul's first missionary tour.  He, in all probability, saw Paul stoned and dragged out of Lystra for dead; and then, on the second missionary journey, in response to the promptings of prophetic utterances  (1 Timothy 1:18), and upon the recommendation of the elders in Lystra and Iconium, Timothy was commissioned as the apostle's attendant and helper on the mission field.  The letter before us testifies to the faithfulness of Timothy to that charge throughout the apostle's subsequent life.