Saul, Barnabas and John (who was also called Mark*) are off on a missionary journey that will take them by boat across the Mediterranean Sea to a large island.   So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.*

Saul, Barnabas and John will met the proconsul. A proconsul is a powerful administrator. Evidently the good news is being heard by many people on the island or Cyprus and Sergius Paulus has heard a little of the news but he wants to hear more from the messengers. Unfortunately the enemy has a representative close by, Bar-Jesus, who is a Jewish false prophet. What is a false prophet? A false prophet is one who lies about hearing God’s word. A false prophet seeks to lead people in a way that will benefit him and a false prophet is not concerned with the way God wants people to go. A false prophet is not accurate about telling what will happen in the future. A false prophet is good at deception or fooling people. Maybe this is why the Bible calls Bar-Jesus a magician. Many people are out to fool others so you need to be careful. Jesus warned His followers when he said:   Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.*   Because of this it is very important to read your Bible and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you so that you will not be fooled by the magic of the enemy.

Acts 12:12, Acts 13:4-7, Matthew 24:11 (NASB)