Whilst the church at Antioch was worshipping and fasting the Holy Spirit indicated that Barnabas and Saul should be separated and sent out in service. They first sailed to Cyprus, with John with them as a helper, and they travelled through the whole island preaching the gospel. At Paphos they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus (Elymas) who worked for the proconsul who was very interested in the gospel. However Elymas did everything he could to combat his conversion and Saul, "who was also called Paul", condemned him as "a child of the Devil" and he became temporarily blind, and "when the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord". From Paphos Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, but John returned to Jerusalem. From Perga they went to Pisidian Antioch where Paul preached a long detailed message tracing the hand of God on his people through Egypt and Canaan and then sharing the gospel about Jesus' death and resurrection. Interest was great so that many invited Paul and Barnabas to preach more the following Saturday, and on that day nearly the whole city came to hear the gospel which filled the Jewish leadership with jealousy. So Paul and Barnabas made it clear that in the light of such rejection of the gospel by the Jews, the gospel and the church were now more that open to the gentiles. And "the word of the Lord spread through the whole region... but the Jews stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from the region... but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit".
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