The apostles started out upon their mission, taking with them Mark. They went into Seleucia, and from thence sailed to Cyprus. At Salamis they preached in the synagogues of the Jews. “And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus; which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.”{LP 44.2}

Apostlene startede deres mission op, og tog Markus med sig. De tog til Seleukia, og sejlede derfra til Kypern. I Salamis forkyndte de i jødernes synagoger. "De drog så gennem hele øen lige til Pafus; dér traf de en troldmand og falsk profet, en jøde ved navn Barjesus. Han opholdt sig hos statholderen Sergius der var en forstandig mand. Denne indbød Barnabas og Saulus og ønskede at høre Guds ord. Men Elimas, troldmanden (thi dette betyder hans navn), stod den imod og søgte at hindre statholderen i at komme til troen."