"Being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came down to Selucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.  Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed God's message in the Jewish synagogues.  They also had John as their assistant.  When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false-prophet named Bar-Jesus.  He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man.  This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear God's message.  But Elymas, the sorcerer, which is how his name is translated, opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith."

Remember, Saul and Barnabas were on mission, but they did not leave their foundation behind.

First, we notice that the two missionaries began by preaching in the synagogues.  They didn't leave the Jewish tradition out of the mix. They began with the people they related to the most.  They began by reaching out to God's chosen people.  Today, we often think the Jewish people rejected Jesus and that we should simply move on.  This is not true.  We must realize that all of us have rejected Jesus.  No person deserves to be shut out.  God loves and came to forgive ALL!

Second.  How do you think these two men recognized Bar-Jesus as a false prophet?  They have just come from Antioch, where verse 1 tells us there were a few prophets and teachers. 

Here is a valuable lesson for the Christian community:  Get to know what the truth looks like so you can see what the false looks like.

We spend a lot of energy telling our brothers and sisters that they are not doing the truthful thing.  We neglect the truth for judgment.

We must study the Truth.