This one is so clear to me that I honestly don't know why more don't wake from it. why???
1. The ones that were murmuring came down to Antioch and came from where? Judea. Where is Jerusalem? Yep in the center of Judea.
2. The Pharisees actually spoke at this council. How could it be a governing body if they were speaking opinion.
3. Paul hadn't been back to Jerusalem in many years. If the governing body was there why had he not gone back to settle other matters that surely would have come up?
4. James also had to travel to Jerusalem to meet up with Paul etc.
Everything in Acts 15 points to the fact that there was not a governing body but rather they traveled to where the problem was coming from and mind you the obvious location for meeting. That's it!!! Nothing else to it. Fred Franz talk speaks to all of this almost verbatim. When I first heard it my mouth dropped as it was what I had thought myself almost to the letter.