Classic Interview | Leaving the New Age: An Interview with Frank Sontag

Everybody Greg Laurie here.

You're listening to the Greg Laurie Podcast and my objective is to deliver hopefully compelling practical insights and faith culture and current events.

From a biblical perspective to find out more about our ministry. Just go to our website harvest.org so thanks for joining me for this podcast I want to introduce you to a friend that many of you already know his name is Frank Sontag and he is the host of the Frank Sontag show Gerd every day and Kiki LA from 4 to 6 in the evening. Now Frank has an amazing story. Becky is a new book that has come out called like the way home and Beckley. Strobel wrote the forward for this book and Frank was impacted by one of Lee's books. The case for Christ as so many were but Frank story is really quite an unusual upper starters.

He came to faith in his 50s, you know, most people come to Christ when they're younger. Many before the age of 18, but Frank came to faith in his 50s and he went through a lot of twists and turns before he came to Christ he actually was a leader in the New Age movement.

He was a person that would give seminars and teachings on New Age mysticism. But what happened the way he got there was as a younger man. He was out riding a motorcycle one day he was hit by a car going over 100 mph. Amazingly, he survived this. I without a scratch. Relatively speaking, and so they send them on a quest for the meaning of life, which unfortunately led him to this New Age guru that sort of indoctrinated Frank in the ways of that belief system and so there he was a New Age leader and he also hosted a popular radio program on the rock station key LOS.

He interviewed a lot of the royalty of rock 'n' roll over the years and so forth. But then God got hold of Kim and he came to faith and I want you to hear a little bit of the story today because it will help you to know more about how to reach people that seem unreachable. So let's give a warm harvest welcome to Frank Sontag's drag. You know Frank I give an amazing story here in your new book and I was just thinking about all the people you come in the contact with when you would your radio show on key LOS.

You met all kinds of rock 'n' roll people were some of the people you met and interviewed over the years pretty much all the classic rock bands Van Halen Arrowsmith unit Clapton boy. All of them yeah and you told me when we are in studio the other day that you and Ozzy Osbourne on one stillness how that went with Ozzy Osbourne Summit. Some of you know I was on a morning show and tell Mark and Brian and Ozzie was the guest. The guys went outside for a break. It was just me and Ozzie are not really talked Ozzie before and he got really quiet and all of a sudden he blurts out, do you believe in God, what you think he asked you that I don't know. I don't know all only know is you like this deliverable to third a mobile that to understand and for starters, what an interesting question asked someone randomly anywhere where logic crosses around his neck yes did you think of Ozzie is kind of disguises into Satanism's what he told you why were those crosses that need he did. He said that will first of all, two weeks before this moment I gave my life to Christ, so that when he so when he asked me why believe in God. I wanted a unleash the gospel, but it is a Holy Spirit hang on Frank so I just sat there really talk a little bit.

He wears crosses as we talked about God. He said because I know God exists, he said, and I know this protects me. And then he said something like, you won't know all that dark stuff. I do you. So I was about to really get into sharing my testimony and the guys were walking and so just as they were about to walk and I told him I said I am a follower, disciple of Jesus Christ.

She's my everything and then they walked in a gun could reach Ozzy Osbourne. He reached you right no one is beyond the reach of God and Jerry, I mean you were just a guy was in the New Age mysticism. You are a guy that was teaching others how to be into it tell us. In a nutshell what is what is the new way. Well it's the biggest church in America. It's the church itself and the belief system is that somehow all paths lead to God that love is the answer.

All religions all face as long as we get this love thing straight, and I read all the holy books of the Koran Upanishads, the Bhagavad-Gita, I never would read a Bible to couldn't open a Bible. So why do you think it is any here you work, you would be one of those people would beat that would think I'm in the spirituality. I believe in God but then we bring up the Bible. I'm not into that. So how can a person be into quote spirituality" and then be so close to Christianity, and specifically the gospel in the Bible is one of the questions of questions Greg because the New Age movement is riddled with hypocrisy and inconsistencies that the probably the primary reason why so many people follow it like I did is because you can be a good person, spiritual person, but yet you can send and I was in love with my sin right and they can if you like you can believe in all things at once, like the popular sticker you up and see. For some reason, always in pre-esses is think about it coexists right now many of you have a coexist sticker on your car okay good because it is a take it off now. But on the coexist sticker like the little symbols of the various religions that you know of of the world so but that that sort of the belief that you can have all those things intertwined and even throw some your own beliefs and write that it out and coexist is like.

That's the symbol like ours is the fish yeah theirs is the coexist move but the funny thing is that people that talk the most about coexistence and tolerance are actually the most intolerant people of all that you think without a doubt, I mean I think as Christians will say okay you have a different belief and I have let me persuade you of my belief but I'm hopefully going to do it in a loving way respectful way, but I am that a try to convert you over to what I believe. But on the other hand you love other people who like you used to be.

I want to hear that all is you are saying that I'm thinking that was me 20 years talk show. I would just shout people down II support is a left-wing.

I can't believe I just said how is a left-wing progressive little shirt that believed all of that and when people would call. I would have none of it and I would try to out debate them. But as far as faith goes, people would call. I was big guy that the Dalai Lama and all that Buddhism and the irony was, I presented the show as a spiritual show. So, all faiths seem like they were fine to talk about the one someone would call in and share the gospel. I couldn't hang up on the fast what you think were both bald. What happened you government asset have not you normally are interviewing people so different for you to be on the receiving end.

I think I need to pray about that. So okay so here you are, your New Age guru type guy you have this popular radio show. You talk to rock stars. Your life is going reasonably well, but yet you come to Christ, so how does this even happened to my good friends. Actually, my best friend had met me in one of my New Age seminars and we became buds and we sin together and just hung out.

Had a good time while three years before I came alive to Christ.

He became a Christian and I watched his life change and he never proselytize, he never really hit me over the head and forced it on me one day him and his brother was also a Christian pastor they decide to take me out and play golf. Anybody plays golf in this room. You know you go to play golf and try to hit that ball beasts. Unbeknownst to me, and I didn't know until we research part of the book they had made a concerted decision that they were to corner me that day and pressed me on my New Age nonsense and share the gospel with me and when something like this third whole I'm in the fairway about rated hit my approach shot.

Pastor Dale in my backswing blurts out so Frank is Jesus the son of God, like the hen I said when I go there. What were you doing you know I'm spiritual, we don't need to talk about that few more holes go down the line and he says Frank I think I was putting says Frank Scott, you believe in God is there only one God is there absolute truth Dale were knocking to do that so we actually stopped after nine holes me thinking. We had a bad day swing in the clubs they decided to lunch. There were a really gang up on me. So they proceeded for an hour to say things like Frank and Mary to go to your half-full son at home. If you didn't make it home today you right with God and in in between all of the sharing was very defensive.

I was kind of angry but when that question was asked something inside me even though I reacted.

Of course I am a spiritual man, I'm a good guy. Something changed inside and I felt like it was way too quick of a defense and that started me in a moment of really kind of mulling that over and so Pastor Dale tells me okay before you leave. I was kind of a Buddhist, he said, would you air quotes.

Meditate on what I asked you if you died on the way home. Are you right with God, and I kind of patronizingly said sure.

I'll do that I get in my car but ready to start the ignition way. Pastor Dale okay I'll pacify him.

I said in the car for a couple of minutes anybody knows anything about New Age movement. It's about clearing your mind and meditating and I'm doing all that and I started to get very hot.

And as Greg so candidly pointed out were both are challenged that it were a baseball cap that day so I thought that I get too much sun guy you know and no I'm fine and then I sat there little while longer.

And I got quiet and I heard. Are you ready to submit to me and I knew who it was made.

I saw unmistakable call it because he created me and I know his voice.

I knew who it was and I felt no coercion, no defensiveness, no like I have to do this but I freely said yes and then he said words that change my life and again, and this is the Lord speaking to you less and then I never read a Bible. So I didn't know but he then said, pick up your cross and follow me and I didn't know what that meant. I sat there little while longer the sensation went away. I called my two friends there hoop and holler and praise God that whole thing and part of what happened was 37 years before that I left church never go back. Swear never go back and the first words out of my mouth were, I want to go back to church. So then I knew something it happened but a short addendum nine nights later. Pastor Dale Cinema to mail your Bible. He said put the Koran away read the Bible and my Bible came. I was up late one night life started to turn upside down was a difficult. So I'm flipping through the Bible and chapter of Luke opened up in Luke 923 just jumped off the patron. When I read three in the morning on my knees crying like Lord was happening in my life when I read in essence, Jesus saying that anyone would follow me out, let him deny himself, pick up his cross and I got on my knees and went prostate said, Lord, I'm yours forever. I will follow you.

And now that great God convicts anybody now you you host the program know Frank Pat story, who was a good friend of the mind and of our ministry is gone to be with the Lord and actually he became aware of your story after you were converted, you came to Christ in 2009. Is that correct yes. So he became aware of your story because it was posted on YouTube. He had you and studio you became friends because you're both in the field of radio you were still doing sort of you would come from the secular radio thing he's doing is Christian radio show there and calculate the Lord calls Frank, and you end up taking the show now it's your show but you carry that on and so from Frank to Frank and of great men and God truly blessed you but in closing those we can approach this crusade Frank. You don't we all know people that maybe are like you used to be that seem so closed are so self-confident and they seem to even come to have it together, and like nothing were going to say is going to move them what advice would you give a son reaching a person like yourself, just like your friends reached you Greg.

I have had so many people tell me, even at the table. Anyone assigning my book, that they were praying for me a while and so first and foremost, I know you're all praying for some your friends.

Just keep praying. Obviously, God hears it and work it out in his time. Prayer is absolutely of the essence, the greatest tool we have so prayer and also for me. Be careful to not be too exuberant about your love for Christ in that you're forcing it on them, hear their story.

Develop a relationship and then you'll know when to love them and to share his thank you so much.

I think Frank's contact, thank you for everybody. Greg Laurie here. Thanks for listening to our podcast and the learn more about harvest ministries. Please subscribe and consider supporting this show. Just go to harvest.org. By the way, if you want to find out how to come into a personal relationship with God. Go to know God.org that's key NOW GLD.org