Charles Ellicott Commentary Acts 15:4

"And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church and the apostles and the elders, and they rehearsed all things that God had done with them." — Acts 15:4 (ASV)

They were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders.—The words imply a general gathering of the Church, members of different synagogues coming together, with the elders who presided over them. The position of the Apostles, though in some degree analogous in their relation to the elders to the later office of bishops, was yet in many ways unique. They had no local diocese, but remained at Jerusalem, guiding the progress of the Church at large, as a kind of central council, calling in the “elders,” or “presbyters,” to consult with them, and submitting the result of their deliberations to the Church at large. The three bodies corresponded to each other as the Boulè, or council, the Gerusia, or senate, and the Ecclesia, or assembly, in a Greek republic.

They declared all things that God had done with them.—This obviously implied a narrative of considerable length: the history of acts and sufferings, of signs and wonders, of the fruits of the Spirit as seen in the purity, and truth, and love of the Gentile converts. This took place apparently at a preliminary meeting.