Bearing Fruit / Reaping the Harvest

This is great! It is part of a post that Bro. Dough Joseph made on the "apostolic man" message board.

I have never thought of the difference in bearing fruit and reaping the harvest...

Here is the post:

Scripturally, bearing fruit refers to our manifesting evidence of God's changes to us (i.e. His work within ourselves). The scriptures use a different metaphor for the evangelizing of lost souls: reaping a harvest. A fruit bearing tree or plant bears fruit according to its nature. When God changes our nature (redeems and regenerates our spirit/soul), then we bear fruit: That is, we show forth the gifts of the Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit, evidences of holiness, etc.

Reaping a harvest is different. You are not the plant. You a harvester. The plant is outside you, and while you can sow seed and water the crop, only God can give the increase. Then, you can harvest.