A pioneer, leader, a visionary, a humble servant, pursuer of the divine revelation, a lowly slave, minister of the varied grace of God, a bearer of the testimony, an enduring overcomer, a precious one in the Body, one who knew his God and did take action; he ran the race of life and did finish his course. Here is a pattern of faith to every one of us: our dear brother Andrew Yu.

In the last four decades, we have seen God at work with brother Andrew. And we did treasure the rich portion of the ministry dispensed by the LORD thru him. Indeed, our brother Andrew Yu, was a channel of grace to the churches in the Philippines, and a true precious gift to the Body of Christ.

Appreciating a Humble Beginning

We began to notice Bro. Andrew as a humble bag-bearer to Bro. Witness Lee during the last visit of the slave of the Lord to minister to the churches in the Philippines. Quiet, simple and unassuming, Bro. Andrew seemed easily passed off, even though he was already managing in LSM at that time. No one imagined how much this humble vessel would be greatly used by the Lord to bless His churches not only in the Philippines but throughout the earth. Truly, ‘God.. gives grace to the humble’.

One in the Cross of Christ in Ministering to the Churches in the Philippines

When the gospel broke through in the Northern regions of the Philippines in the 1990’s, multiple cities and localities opened to the Lord. Hundreds of local churches were raised up. That turn called for much shepherding and spiritual leadership. Bro. Andrew was among those who received the burden to shepherd the young churches in the semi-annual Fellowship Among Churches (FAC). Side by side with the coworkers in Taiwan, they imparted vivid view of God’s New Testament economy and the unique work of God in the present age. Those formative years were crucial in leading the young churches to go on and to follow closely the leading of the ministry of the age.

One unforgettable moment was when the FAC was held in an open ground under a canopy. It was a hot and humid day. There was no air-conditioning. And the ground was jampacked with over a thousand people. The humidifier and fan blowers helped very little, and the sun was at its peak. It was fainting hot in every corner of the place. Bro. Andrew had to contend with an iced towel as he spoke in the podium a few times; his face was red hot in heat and he was sweating all over. Beside him was a face towel soaked in a basin of iced water.  He would run the cold towel over his face and neck in every pause of the message. That was an enduring long day that left a deep impression among the saints, especially the serving ones. To the hundreds of saints who have travelled for hours and days, saving their pennies for the blending of the churches, that was a sight of assurance and consolation.. that we were lead by genuine men who were ready to suffer with the cross of Christ for the sake of His church. Now, we look back on that day with a smile, with a sigh, and even with tears, for the Lord has indeed raised up for Himself men ready to give themselves up for the flock. 

Keeping the Churches in Harmony with the Body

For the continuation of the church life, we recognize the criticalness of keeping the harmony in the Body of Christ. Therefore, we have kept an open fellowship with the churches in the Western and Eastern hemisphere. And thus, thru the coordination of with Bro. Andrew Yu, we were privileged to receive the ministering of the brothers in the Western Hemisphere. 

For the church’s progress in life and function, it was also Bro. Andrew who guided us to continue with the keen fellowship with our leading brothers in Taiwan for the mature leading of the churches in the Philippines.  

A Higher View of the Fulltime Training 

The Fulltime Training in Malabon (FTTMA) has been a channel of blessing to the local churches across the country, since the time Bro. Lee released his burden to start the training for the young generation back in 1985. Since then, thousands of young vessels poured out their lives and their future to consecrate themselves for the Lord’s move in His economy. This was a significant factor in the spread of the Lord’s recovery in the Philippines.

But more so, since over a decade ago, our Bro. Andrew Yu shared his burden concerning the need for the FTTMA to open its door to receive trainees from outside the Philippines, and also to send out trained ones to help the other churches in the region. After much fellowship and prayer with the leading coworkers in the region, the feeling from the Body became clear that this burden was indeed a leading from the LORD, our Head. This paved the way for the Lord to raise up His called out ones in more than 20 countries: from New Zealand to Africa, from Papua New Guinea to United Arab Emirates, and with a substantial contingent coming from China & southeast Asia.

Since then, hundreds of young saints from various countries have been sanctified thru the FTTMA and did become useful in spreading the gospel of the kingdom to the farthest part of the earth, and in the service and administration of the local churches. Just before the outbreak of the pandemic, the FT trainees were numbering 500 in every term. (Meantime, the FTTMA is conducted online for safety and health reason until the pandemic is done). Through the wise leading of the Lord’s servants, the Lord’s blessing to the churches have, indeed, multiplied.

Leading the Workers to the Harvest Field 

In our days we saw how our Brothers: Andrew Yu, together with Paul Wu, Lin Horng, and the leading ones in the region, took the lead for the spread of the gospel of the kingdom through-out Asia, home to some 70% of the world population. This active collaboration among the churches brought about the harmonious coordination of the Lord’s Move to Asia. This supports the pioneering and sustaining work of establishing the testimony of Jesus in the many key cities that have not heard the gospel before.    

Meantime, behind the scene, hundreds of our saints from India, Malaysia and Philippines have been scattered into the Arabic-speaking Middle East countries, (GCC), in pursuit of employment. A good number of these, have been trained in the FTTMA. Back at the time of Bro. Lee, the Arab World was the only region on earth without the testimony of the church owing to its stern religious restrictions. We could sense from his speaking the deep longing to gain this region for the Lord. It also implies that this region could be among the last frontier for the gospel. But now, in the Lord’s time, the seed of the gospel among the saints began to sprout. Some saints started meeting in few fragmented groups. But through the coordination of the workers serving the LMA, these many small groups were brought into a healthy church living and regular fellowship with the ministry. Finally, the saints were brought to light to understand the very purpose of their ‘migration’. The saints realized the marvelous work that the Lord is doing to gain people from all tribes, tongues and nations to bring about the testimony of Jesus in every city.  Now, 21 churches have been established in GCC and all are closely following the leading of the ministry. 

What an awesome work the Triune God is doing in our time. To these, we are but privileged witnesses. Praise the LORD.

As we reminisce the days of our Bro. Andrew Yu, we cannot help but marvel at how much the Lord has done and accomplished through His consecrated one. There is certainly much to learn from and more to hear concerning our dear Bro. Andrew Yu. May the Lord bless our generation with more of such patterns as we prepare for the Lord’s imminent return. Blessed be our God, and Lord – Jesus Christ. Grace to His church. Amen.

We condole sincerely with sister Marilyn and their children John and Anna on this temporary separation as we have the living hope and full assurance that Christ is our life and when He is manifested in that day we too shall be manifested in the same way as our dear Lord Jesus in glory.

In Christ,

The local churches in the Philippines

Full Time Training Malabon

Gospel Bookroom of the Philippines

Philwork