I couldn't find a window on which to post in xtreemlyconfused17's Acts 15 thread, so I'm responding here. Some elder claimed that Acts 15 shows the existence of a first century Governing Body.
Quite the opposite!
Let's back up to Acts 13. There, the Holy Spirit called Saul (Paul) and Barnabas to missionary work. The Christians at Antioch blessed them and sent them out. No consultation with Jerusalem or the original apostles at all. When they returned, they reported back to the Antioch Christians, not to some "Governing Body" in Jerusalem. (Acts 14:26)
By Acts 15, it was brothers who came FROM Jerusalem that were causing a serious PROBLEM by bringing false, legalistic teachings to Antioch. Paul didn't go to Jerusalem because there was some sort of Governing Body there. He went to Jerusalem because the legalistic falsehoods originated in Jerusalem and were spreading from there. So it was natural for Paul to go TO Jerusalem to make the brothers there aware of what was going on and to get it stopped.
In other words, it was what the WT considers "headquarters" where the false teaching originated. Paul had to go there to get it stopped, not to ask what the "truth" was. OF COURSE, the leaders in Jerusalem had to make some sort of statement. It was men who purported to speak with their backing that were causing the problem! This conclusion is supported by the fact that the reply was sent to the Antioch Christians, not circulated to congregations everywhere as some central directive. Luke later reported this in Acts 15, but not because some "Governing Body" directed him to do it.
In Galatians 2:6, Paul says of this, "And from those who were reputed to be something (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality) -- those, I say, who were of repute added nothing to me..." Paul said the reputation of the Jerusalem brothers made no difference to him and they added nothing to him by issuing some centralized decision. God shows no partiality. They were NOT a part of some "Governing Body"!
Later in Galatians 2:11, same issue: circumcision. There, Peter came from Jerusalem to Antioch and ate freely with uncircumcised Gentile brothers. But when certain men came from James (the leader of the Acts 15 conference in Jerusalem, probably Jesus' half-brother, certainly an apostle) Peter drew back and refused to eat with uncircumcised brothers. Instead of accepting this as a directive or "new light" from the "Governing Body" in Jerusalem, Paul confronted "Governing Body" member Peter (an apostle personally selected by Jesus) and rebuked him for acting hypocritically.
So the idea that there was some sort of "Governing Body" in Jerusalem from whom all Christians took orders is simply FALSE. The accounts in Acts show exactly the opposite!