What was Paul encouraging the churches in Greece to do for the last year?
Paul encouraged the churches in Greece to prepare and complete their offerings for the saints in Jerusalem, getting the collections ready so someone could pick them up and transport the wealth, and finishing before he arrived so they would not give merely because of his presence.
Les explains that for the last year Paul had been encouraging the churches in Greece to get their offerings ready for the day someone would come and pick them up and transport that wealth to Jerusalem. Paul said that for a whole year they had been talking about getting these collections ready for the saints in Jerusalem, but they still had not done it. So he told them to get busy and complete it, because he wanted it all done before he arrived, so they would not give because of his presence. Les compares this to human nature, noting the illustration that many may say they will send an offering, but few actually follow through; Paul was dealing with the same thing. This is all about Christian giving, with no mention of a tithe or 10%.